Britain’s tropical blast is about to go bang as torrential downpours and lightning erupt in a ‘thunderstorm plume’.
Colossal volumes of energy ploughed into the atmosphere by the sudden heat surge will reach an explosive crescendo.
Southern regions are first in line at the end of the week for an electrical monsoon deluge, experts warn.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “Towards the end of the week, there is going to be a risk of thunderstorms with the energy in the atmosphere built up by the hot weather.
“These will move up in a plume from the south, and some of these will bring heavy and thundery downpours.
“This is the result of instability which usually follows hot weather with high humidity, and over the next couple of days, there will be high temperatures with very high humidity.”
Temperatures are expected to dip slightly ahead of the weekend after the peak of Britain’s fourth summer heatwave.
Southern and eastern regions will cling onto the warm weather through the rest of the week, while it turns cooler from the north.
Netweather map shows the storm threat over Britain rising
|NETWEATHER
A nationwide split will also drive wetter and windier outbreaks across Scotland and northern Britain.
Dale said: “Hot weather is likely to hold out across the south into the weekend, although it will be turning cooler across the north.
“As humidity levels will be high, there will be an ongoing risk of thunderstorms through the rest of the week.”
Eastern Britain could hit the mid-30Cs again today, before dipping to more average values by Thursday.
Met Office’s Alex Burkill describes temperatures rising in the south
|MET OFFICE
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Wednesday will be feeling pretty hot again with temperatures getting into the low-30Cs, perhaps even the mid-30Cs across some eastern parts.
“There is the potential for some heavy showers across Northern Ireland and maybe northern England, and these could bring some torrential downpours and even a bit of thunder and lightning, and with that, there is the risk of some gusty winds.
“As we go through Thursday, there could be some showers around, particularly early on, and if we do see these developing, they could be a bit heavy and a bit thundery, and temperatures are likely to be a little bit lower.”
A north-south split through the rest of the week will put Scotland and northern Britain in the firing line for showers.
Jason Nicholls, lead international forecaster for AccuWeather, said: “It will be dry and bright for most on Thursday, and while it is remaining dry and bright in the south, there will be the risk of a few showers in the north.”
The Met Office’s longer-range outlook states: “High pressure is set to dominate the UK by this weekend, bringing fine, dry, and very warm or hot weather with light winds for most, though breezier in the far south.
“After a spell of cooler, cloudy, and murky conditions in the north, especially along coasts, it will turn clearer and warmer here.”