UK heatwave: Thunderstorms dampen record heat predictions

Record heat forecast for Friday has been halted by thunderstorms arriving earlier than expected.

The Met Office had said the UK's all-time temperature record of 38.5C (101F) - set in Kent in 2003 - may be beaten.

But storms broke out overnight in the North East of England and the east of Scotland, dampening chances, the BBC Weather Centre said.

More storms are expected from 14:00 BST, with a yellow weather warning issued for the east of England.

Temperatures will still be high though - around 30C for many, but it could be as high as 34C in East Anglia.

The weather warning is in place until 23:45 on Friday, with the potential of torrential rain, localised flooding and hailstones.

The rainfall could lead to dangerous conditions on the road over the evening rush hour.

Thicker cloud and rain is expected to come in over Northern Ireland, western parts of Scotland, parts of Wales and the South West come Friday afternoon.

And the clouds could stop people from being able to see the "blood moon" lunar eclipse on Friday night - said to be the longest expected this century.

2018 record set
Temperatures have been building through the week as the UK heatwave continued.

Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 35.1C in Wisley, Surrey.

While England measured the top temperature, 29.4C was recorded in Usk, Wales, and Northern Ireland saw 26.2C at Giants Causeway.

The highest temperature recorded in Scotland was 27.6C in Dunstaffnage.

Valley, on the west coast of Anglesey, recorded the most sunshine - racking up 14.8 hours.

The UK's current all-time record temperature for July stands at 36.7C, which was recorded at Heathrow in July 2015.

While some have been enjoying the heat, it has caused major disruption elsewhere.

Eurotunnel has cancelled thousands of tickets on Friday in what they called an "unprecedented decision" to ease long queues, after passengers faced five-hour delays on Thursday as air conditioned units failed.

The company has decided to stop passengers from travelling on Friday if they are due to return on the same day or Saturday, warning that there are still three-and-a-half hour delays.

Local authorities warned that parts of the NHS were experiencing "winter conditions", with many nurses said to be dizzy and exhausted.

One nurse was admitted to A&E with dehydration after working three 12-hours shifts in a row during the heatwave.

Health officials also said blood supplies had dropped because some people have been too dehydrated to donate, while others have chosen to stay in the sun.

Young people, the elderly and those with lung or heart problems were advised to reduce strenuous exercise and physical exertion.

Fire services called for a ban on barbecues in parks and drivers were urged not to throw rubbish from their cars after a string of grassland fires during the heatwave.

And the RAC said it was expecting breakdowns to be about 15-20% higher than they would normally expect for late July.

X Factor star James Arthur cancelled his open air show in Scarborough because of continued lightning strikes in the area.

And a search has been suspended overnight after a teenage boy went missing after going into the sea near Clacton Pier in Essex.

Conditions over the weekend are expected to be cooler, with the possibility of more rain, strong winds and more average temperatures for the time of year - either in the high teens or low 20s.

But the forecast currently predicts more hot weather later next week.