Temperatures across the UK are set to reach highs of 25C to 26C for much of the weekend – but a record-breaking sunny spell is then under threat from “vigorous thunderstorms” and heavy rain.
The beginning of May has been bathed in sunshine making it the driest start to spring in 69 years, according to the Environment Agency.
But flooding, lightning and even hail could bring the sunny spell, which could see highs of 26C across Sunday and Monday, to a dramatic close.
The Met Office said from Saturday night, into Sunday morning, there is an increasing chance of rain, showers and isolated thunderstorms moving northwards across the southwest of the UK.
By Monday, the storm could cover western parts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, Dan Harris, urged Brits to stay up to date with any severe weather warnings which may be issued.
He said: “On Monday itself, we could see some particularly vigorous thunderstorms developing, most likely in Wales and parts of southern England, whilst elsewhere during this whole period, dry, fine, and increasingly warm conditions are expected.
“Should these thunderstorms develop, especially on Monday, there is potential for 25-35mm of rain to fall in an hour or so which may lead to some localised surface water flooding.
“Hail, lightning, and isolated strong wind gusts would be additional hazards.”
The rain will come as a relief to some farmers in England, as March was the driest since 1961 and April received just half its normal rainfall.
The dry spell has forced farmers to start irrigating crops earlier with reservoir levels either notably low or exceptionally low across the North East and North West of England.
Both these regions have seen their driest start to the year since 1929.
The Met Office clocked an average of 228.9 hours of sunshine across last month, meaning the UK recorded its sunniest April since the series began in 1910. This follows the sunniest March since records began for England.
May started off with the hottest day of the year so far as the Met Office recorded 29.3C in London.
The chance of showers persists into Tuesday across the far south, with higher pressure once again becoming dominant and eventually clearing the showers away.
Much of the UK will have another bright sunny day on Tuesday, with the settled conditions covering the vast majority of the UK by Wednesday and likely to remain through the week.
