Brits bask in temperatures of 32C in hottest day of the year so far as Met Office issues official heatwave warning – but storms are on the way within hours

After weeks of unseasonably soggy weather, Britain basked in the hottest day of the year yesterday – and didn’t we just revel in it.

As temperatures soared to 32C in central London, the country now appears to be in the middle of an official heatwave, the Met Office confirmed. 

The national weather service said that it is likely to remain very warm for the next few days, although yellow weather warnings have been issued for thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday. 

In the meantime, sun worshippers flocked to beaches, pools and parks, with Brighton seeing record crowds.

And at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire, keepers reached for the watering cans to keep their giant tortoises cool.

Temperatures are forecast to rise into the high 20s today – and possibly up to above 30C, marking three days of sustained sun and an official heatwave.

But, of course, it won’t last for long. ‘Yellow warnings’ have been issued for thunderstorms tomorrow and on Thursday some areas could see a month’s rainfall in a few hours. But the first week of August should see highs in the mid-20s.

Tuesday was the joint warmest day of the year so far after a temperature of 31.9C was recorded in central London, according to the Met Office.

Recorded in St James’s Park, it ties with the temperature on July 19 in the same location.

Burgers, beers and ice creams are flying off the shelves yesterday as Brits soaked up the hottest day of the year so far.

As many as 150,000 packs of burgers are predicted to be flogged by Tesco alone – as they prepare to sell 450,000 packs of sausages and 150,000 packs of assorted barbeque meats as punters party under the sun.

Families headed to the River Cam in Cambridge to cool off as they made the most of the hot weather to go punting along the picturesque Backs in the historic university city.

By St Paul’s Cathedral in central London city-goers sprawled in the heat, resting their heads on the cool grass.

And at West Bay beach in Dorset sun-seekers splashed into the summer holidays as they donned their best bathing suits for a day by the sea.

In Plymouth, holiday-goers enjoyed the cool release of the iconic Tinside Lido and families left the North East villiage of Cullercoats looking like California as they pakced the beaches with families.

One bather was even pictured jumping off rocks into the cool water at the tiny bay, which is a hidden gem for beach lovers, just 20 minutes from Newcastle. 

And as they partied through the heat supermarkets warned that Brits are preparing to stock up to barbecue through the season.

As many as two million ice creams and lollies are set to be devoured – a number only matched by the number of tinnies set to be cleaned up from Tesco’s shelves.

Brits are also set to devour nearly 1.5million bottles of wine,  500,000 packs of rolls and baguettes, 250,000 iceberg lettuces and 750,000 million punnets of strawberries.

Sainsbury’s said that yesterday sales across lollies and ice packs were up 125 per cent against Monday last week and the retailer expects that figure to continue to rise due to the hot weather.

The Cornetto Classic was its best-selling item across the category.

It added that between July 28 and 29, ready-to-drink sales were up 60 per cent versus this time last year. This week, Sainsbury’s predicts ready-to-drink sales will increase 40 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile the Met Office warning advises of the chances of ‘isolated flooding and disruption’ for the South East between 12pm and 11.59pm on Wednesday.

It states that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, with a ‘small chance’ that some communities could be cut off by flooded roads.

It also warns of a ‘slight chance’ of power cuts for homes and businesses.

The advisory adds: ‘There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.’

A similar warning of thunderstorms and disruption has also been issued for an area stretching from the South East up to Manchester and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne for between 12pm and 11.59pm on Thursday.

The threat of thunderstorms comes after the heat is expected to peak in southern England and Wales on Tuesday.

Meteorologist at the Met Office, Becky Mitchell, said: ‘We are technically in a heatwave now because the high temperatures… started yesterday, and we’re in the midst of it now as we expect temperatures to continue to be high in the coming days.’

‘The heat and humidity we’ve got across England and Wales is going to spark off some thundery showers on Wednesday and Thursday so we’ve got some yellow weather warnings in force,’ said Ms Mitchell.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health warnings for all areas of England, except the North East and North West, until Friday.

It warned that expected hot weather may have ‘significant impacts’ on the health and social care sector across the South East and London, with minor effects elsewhere.

The Met Office said a warm snap is considered a heatwave if a location records at least three consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value – 25C for most of the UK, rising to 28C in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher.

The Met Office said up to 50mm (2in) of rain could fall in two hours in the South East tomorrow, with a total of up to 90mm (3.5 inches) expected over a 24-hour period.

Meanwhile, bosses are braced for workers deciding to have the day off with fears of sickness absence soaring again as it did after big England football games at Euro 2024. 

Alan Price, chief executive at BrightHR, which monitors absence among over a million employees across 50,000 UK companies, added: ‘We see a significant increase in sickness absence due to hot weather.’ 

While the warmth will carry on for Wednesday, there is a chance of summer thunderstorms in southern areas – with a warning in place for the South East.

Thursday should develop into a more unsettled day with potentially impactful thunderstorms again. Friday should bring rain, which will move westward.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow heat health warnings for all areas of England, except the North East and North West, until 9am on Friday.

It warned the expected hot weather may have ‘significant impacts’ on the health and social care sector across the south east and London, with minor impact elsewhere. 

Conditions are likely to impact the ‘vulnerable’, such as the elderly and those with multiple health conditions.

The Met Office said a warm snap is considered a heatwave if a location records at least three consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value – 25C (77F) for most of the UK, rising to 28C (82F) in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher.

The hottest day of the year so far saw a temperature of 31.9C (89.4F) recorded at St James’s Park in London on July 19.

The average August rainfall in England is 75mm (2.95 inches) – meaning more than a month’s rain could fall in one day.

Forecasters said in the thunderstorm warnings for tomorrow and Thursday that there could be road closures, train delays and power cuts.

They also said in Thursday’s warning that there is ‘a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded’ and cause ‘a danger to life.’

Toolstation reported its sales of outdoor furniture were up 448 per cent compared to the previous week, while sales of cooling fans had risen 207 per cent.

The DIY and trade retailer also saw sales of watering cans rise 31 per cent, and sales of its garden sprinklers and water sprayers range increase 23 per cent. 

Meanwhile, Lakeland said sales of its gas pizza oven had risen 72 per cent, its ice cream maker was up 59 per cent and picnic baskets increased 25 per cent.

Also this week, the London Fire Brigade urged parents and carers to explain the risks of jumping into water and open water swimming to children.

Craig Carter, the LFB’s assistant commissioner for prevention and protection, said: ‘It’s a sad statistic that the risk of drowning in England increases as children reach their teenage years, and that teenage boys are the most likely group to accidentally drown.

‘It can be tempting to cool off from the heat by going for a swim. But despite the heat, waterways are still cold enough to put a person into cold water shock which can affect anybody, no matter their fitness.

‘It can cause panic, anxiety, disorientation, and loss of muscular control, which causes a person to gasp for air – inhaling water as a result.’

He urged anyone caught in a dangerous situation to ‘float to live’, which involves tilting your head back and submerging your ears; trying to relax and breathe normally; gently moving your hands to help you stay afloat if you need to; and spread your arms and legs out to improve stability. Once your breathing is under control, you should then call for help or swim to safety.

Mr Carter added that he was urging people not to take disposable barbecues with them to open spaces because they can cause grass fires, especially in hot weather when the ground is dry.

The turnaround in conditions follows a very wet start to July – with East and South East England seeing about a month’s worth of rainfall in just the first week.

And mobile data from the new Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index revealed a decrease in shopping visits compared to the same time last year – with shopping centre trips down 12 per cent and high street shopping falling 6 per cent.

The firm said this could be a result of only 15 per cent of shoppers being willing to hit the high streets in bad weather. It added that retailers were deploying tactics such as changes to their operations, putting on discounts and hosting special events to get people in.