What’s this wet stuff called again?
JUST when it seemed that Britain had forgotten what rain looked like, a band of thunderstorms are sweeping into Britain.
The downpours are set to bring the heatwave to a very soggy end – but only a temporary one.
The storms began arriving last night and are set to move north across south-east England, London and East Anglia today, leaving much cooler unsettled conditions in their wake.
But the severity of the expected storms led the Met Office to issue a weather alert until later tonight, warning of the possibility of flash flooding and power cuts.
Rain will also spread to parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland as the warm air over the UK is finally swept away.
Maximum temperatures are likely to dip to about the mid-70Fs (mid20Cs) from today.
There will also be further heavy showers in the North and West but they will clear in the East. Sunny spells will then develop for most but temperatures will still be much cooler than they have been.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: “Temperatures are looking much nearer to normal. But it’s too soon to say if the heatwave is coming to an end. It’s not really possible to say at the moment.”
Forecasters said it would feel fresher and stay cool throughout the weekend with “no real sign of any return of the heat that we have been seeing over recent days”.
However, the Met Office believes temperatures will start to edge up again next week, though how high they will go remains to be seen.
And the warmer-than-average temperatures could even continue into the autumn, according to experts.
Bonnie Diamond, from the Met Office, said: “This means there is an increased likelihood of warmerthan-average temperatures and below-average rainfall.
“It must be noted, however, that this does not necessarily mean temperatures will be hot or that a heatwave will continue, as aboveaverage temperatures can mean one or two degrees above average.
“Further, warmer-than-average temperature does not necessarily mean sunshine – it can be warm and cloudy too.”
After weeks of temperatures surging past the 86F mark, weathermen said the storms would see a radical reduction, and a welcome fresher feel at night.
From today, temperatures are expected to peak at between 68F-75F in the South, with nowhere reaching the heights of recent weeks.