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After days of thunder, lightning and rain, summer is back with a blaze

FLAMING June will turn up the heat today across Britain, with some parts hotter than Spain.

Temperatures in London and the south of England will reach 26C (80F), while in the Spanish capital Madrid, the maximum will be just 20C.

After two days of thunder, lightning and torrential rain across much of the UK, summer has finally arrived. The Met Office said there is still a risk of localised downpours, but the balmy weather will last into next week.

Nicola Maxey, from the organisation, said: “The chance of thunderstorms is diminishing. We have still got warnings out for thunderstorms for Northern Ireland, Scotland and the East Coast. “But, elsewhere, we should be seeing an improvement in the weather. There should certainly be more sunshine, “As we go into Sunday, again there is still a chance of thundery showers for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Elsewhere, it will be similar to Saturday, with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid 20s.”

The South will see the best of the weekend weather, with temperatures of 26C in London and 25C in Bristol.

But Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds will not be far behind.

The Met Office yesterday revealed the UK enjoyed its sunniest May on record – 245.3 hours of sunshine.

It was also the warmest May on record, with a daytime average of 17C.

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