UK weather forecast – Met Office issues URGENT thunderstorm warning with lightning, hail and heavy showers coming

Brighter spells on the way tomorrow

Some early brighter spells in London tomorrow however cloud thickening through the morning.

Dry for most however, with isolated showers mainly limited to northwestern parts.

Warm sunny periods developing through the afternoon with maximum temperatures of 23 °C.

Clear night ahead for Londoners

A mixture of variable cloud and clear spells overnight.

The odd shower possible in the north and west, easing later in the night, but also along southeastern coasts after midnight with minimum temperatures of 11 °C.

Today's thunderstorm warning will last until 10pm

Heavy showers will develop through the morning with isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening.

These will bring the potential for lightning, hail and heavy rain, with a few places seeing 10-20 mm of rain within an hour and a small chance of 40 mm in 2-3 hours.

Showers are likely to weaken over parts of Wales and the southwest of England during Thursday evening but will persist longer in parts of central England and the Midlands.

What to expect from today's thunderstorm warning

• Driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus
• Delays to train services
• Some short term loss of power and other services
• Some flooding of a few homes and businesses, leading to some damage to buildings or structures
• Some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes

Top tips for Hay fever sufferers

The pollen levels across the UK are very high at the moment.

While this usually means the sun is out and the weather is warm, it can lead to some serious discomfort for Hay Fever sufferers, so here are some tips from the NHS to help.

• put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
• wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
• shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off
• stay indoors whenever possible
• keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
• vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
• buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
• try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities

Heavy showers continue to develop, Met Office warns

The miserable weather is set to continue through the afternoon.

Brits across the nation are experiencing showers and even flooding.

The latest tweet from the Met Office says: "Heavy showers continue to develop across parts of England and Wales."

In pictures: Somerset students caught in shower during prom

Year 13 students got all dressed up for their leavers prom, but were caught in a freak rain shower.

Luckily, the girls had a spare coat to shield their hair from the heavy rain drops as they made their way to prom.

Students from Wells Blue School had a rainbow umbrella to keep out of the storm.

They went to Bishop's Palace in Wells for their end of year celebration before going off to university or work in September.

Met Office issues Yellow weather warning for Wales

Thunderstorms are predicted to swirl over the Welsh skies later on today.

The weather has been turbulent this week, and Brits have seen a confusing mix of sun and rain.

This afternoon the Met Office have given Wales a Yellow warning for thunder and lightening.

More rain to bluster across the British Isles Friday

Tomorrow, the majority of the UK will be covered by rain clouds, and potential thunder storms.

WX Charts shows a huge rain cloud looming over almost the entirety of the UK. The only area that looks safe from heavy rain is the south west.

Rain should subside by the late afternoon for Brits.

Temperatures will raise steadily on Saturday, but there will still be the odd shower here and there.

Pests: Mosquito levels HIGH today

As today's weather is quite humid, Brits will need to be careful of the blood sucking nuisances.

Wearing longer cut clothing and spritzing a good mozzie repellent will keep them at bay.

If you are bitten, try Boots mosquito clicker.

This small device costs around £6, and adds a little static shock to help prevent histamine build up, which causes the unbearable itching.

Pollen: Grass pollen levels HIGH today

Those who suffer from hay fever will need to be wary of the outdoors.

Home humidity must be kept low today to prevent mildew build up. This will stop mould growing, according to Accuweather.

In pictures: Brits lashed with rain in Manchester

This week's unpredictable weather meant Brits had to be prepared when heading outside, but not even umbrellas could keep some dry!

One woman was snapped out and about in Manchester keeping shelter under her brolly when it flipped inside out, and nearly flew away!

Brits in Manchester and surrounding areas will see highs of 19C today.

More showers will hit at around 1pm this afternoon, gradually getting heavier as the day goes on, according to forecasts.

Brits to get soaked

BRITAIN is set to be soaked by rain, thunder & FLOODING this week in a dramatic change in conditions after a blistering mid-June heatwave.

The nation is set for yet more washouts amid yellow weather warnings issued for heavy rain and flooding.

BBC Weather’s Chris Fawkes said: “We get to endure an area of low pressure that has been with us today and will be with us for the rest of the week bringing rain or showers in the forecast everyday.

“We start off on Wednesday morning with a band of rain across east Scotland, eastern areas of England, clearing quite quickly and then essentially when that has gone it is a day of sunshine and showers,” said Mr Fawkes.

“Heavy showers and thunderstorms for Scotland and some slow moving storms lining up along south west England, so there will be a few areas here that will see shower, after shower, after shower.

It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow warning for rain for the majority of Scotland on Tuesday.

A heady mix of sunshine and showers this morning

The Met Office tweeted: "Heavy rain will slowly clear Northern Ireland this morning.

"Heavy and thundery showers are also affecting northwest Wales.

"Elsewhere there will be a mix of sunshine and showers, these locally heavy at times with a risk of thunder."

Short weather summary for today

The Met Office has published a short summary of today's weather.

It says: "Sunny spells, but showers in the north and west at first, some heavy and slow moving, then developing elsewhere through the day.

"Risk of isolated thunderstorms and hail, particularly in southern and central parts later."

What to expect in London later this week

The Met Office has revealed the forecast Londoners can expect as the week goes on.

“Cloudier Wednesday as a slow-moving band of showery rain pushes east.

“More unsettled Thursday with showers, perhaps turning heavy and thundery early on. Drier and brighter Friday. Feeling warm.”

Thursday’s weather outlook: Sunshine and showers

The Met Office have said there will be a mix of rain and shine again across Britain tomorrow.

Rain could be heavy in the west and southern areas, moving further up north.

Central England may even see some hail and thunder rumbles.

Weather outlook for this weekend

Continuing rain and shine for Brits has been predicted for the upcoming weekend.

The Met Office has said there will be rain in the northeast on Saturday, with the odd sunny spell.

A band of heavy rain will loom across the east of England on Saturday.

The rest of the UK will remain relatively dry.

Pleasant weather this weekend for Brits

Looks as though temperatures are on the rise for Saturday.

Brits saw this week so far as a bit of a wash out, with plenty of rain and even some thunder in the north and Scotland.

However, temperatures look as though they are on the up, according to WX Charts.

London could see highs of around 22C, while rural areas could see highs of 18C.

In pictures: Glorious summer sunrise pictured in Hampshire

Despite the unsettled and often extreme weather, Tuesday morning was a bright and glorious one in parts of the country.

Pictured below, a stunning sunrise looms over Hampshire, reflecting against the glassy surface of a lake.

It is set to be a cloudy day of sporadic showers across the UK today, with weather warnings active in parts of Scotland.

Cool and rainy day with light rain

Brits will likely see plenty of rainfall this week.

In the south west Brits will see highs of around 18C, with short rain showers scattered around.

It is expected to be slightly warmer near London, with a low breeze and the odd rain shower.

In pictures: Sunny day for Brits yesterday as they basked on the beach

Brits enjoyed the warm sun on Bournemouth beach Tuesday (28 June).

While many parts of the UK including the south west saw plenty of rain showers, Bournemouth managed to avoid the bad weather on Tuesday.

Instead it was bright, sunny and dry.

Those who went to the beach sunbathed, went for a swim and dug holes and sandcastles.

Top tips for Hay fever sufferers

The pollen levels across the UK are very high at the moment.

While this usually means the sun is out and the weather is warm, it can lead to some serious discomfort for Hay Fever sufferers, so here are some tips from the NHS to help.

• put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
• wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
• shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off
• stay indoors whenever possible
• keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
• vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
• buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
• try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities

Temperatures to soar in July, but forecasters say it is ‘not’ a heatwave

Brits may avoid another sweltering summer as forecasters say temperatures will shoot to above average, but it won’t be uncomfortably hot.

Speaking to the Express, Met Office’s Oliver Claydon said: “As we move into July, there are early signs of a spell of more settled weather.

“With high pressure potentially becoming established to the south of the UK but likely extending to all areas at times.”

He went on to say: “Temperatures will increase and are likely to be above average at times.”

In pictures: Drizzly scenes today in London

Brits were caught in the heavy downpours earlier today.

This week has brought much unsettled weather to the UK.

The Sun has told Brits to bring their brollies out and about in case of a random shower.

Some were caught in the rain earlier today and were snapped braving the elements in rain coats and trainers.