UK records sixth consecutive day above 34C for first time in nearly 60 years

The UK has recorded its sixth consecutive day above 34C for the first time in nearly 60 years.

The Met Office said that temperatures had reached 34.6C in central London, marking the first time since at least 1961 that there had been six consecutive days of 34C and above.

It comes as a yellow storm warning has been issued for the whole of England, Wales and areas in Scotland by the Met Office, meaning those regions could see flooding and power cuts from Wednesday afternoon until the end of the week.

The Met Office has warned of potential damage to buildings from lightning strikes or strong winds and a chance of travel disruption due to flooding. It also warns of 30 to 40mm of rain falling in less than an hour in some places.

Torrential rain and lightning lashed large parts of Scotland causing flooding and travel disruption on Tuesday evening.

UK Heatwave: Hottest day of 2020 so far as mercury hits 31C

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Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond told the PA news agency: “Parts of the UK will see some very heavy thunderstorms with torrential rainfall and a chance of flash flooding from Wednesday, this could result in landslides and problems with travel.

“Yellow thunderstorm warnings will remain in place until Sunday, affecting most of the UK.”

But the heatwave in southern England is set to continue, with London and the South East expecting temperatures of up to 36C (96.8F) on Wednesday.

Ms Diamond added: “Temperatures should remain in the mid-twenties to low thirties and will be above the heatwave threshold in the south of England until Friday.”

Police forces and the RNLI have warned about the dangers of entering water after the sweltering conditions led to a number of weather-related accidents across the country over the past week.

On Sunday, a mother died after going into the sea to save her youngest son who had got into difficulty in a kayak in Norfolk.

The woman, named locally as Danielle Chilvers, 37, of Swaffham, died after she got caught in a suspected riptide and was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Across Monday and Tuesday, the bodies of two friends were recovered from the sea off Brighton after a small, unoccupied dinghy was found.

And the RNLI said that lifeguards in Kent carried out an “unprecedented number” of rescues, with 24 people rescued in a single day at Ramsgate Main Beach, while volunteers with Oban RNLI in Argyll, Scotland, rescued nine people and a dog in one day.

Additional reporting by PA Media.