London set for 'sticky' hottest day of 2021 before storms

But Londoners are encouraged to enjoy the scorching weather while it lasts before the capital and the rest of the south east is hit by thunderstorms as early as tonight.

A warm front stretching south-east from East Anglia to Kent means areas inside this zone are likely to see warm even "sticky" weather, a Met Office forecaster has said.

The mercury is forecast to reach a peak of 30C (86F) in London at around 4pm, but will be scorching throughout.

Tower Bridge - PA

Monday marked the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures soaring to 29.7C (85.46F) in Teddington, Middlesex.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said there is a "reasonable chance" Wednesday's warmest temperature could beat the record set on Monday.

He said: "It's going to be pretty close and there's a reasonable chance that we will just pip it.

"There's a good chance that we could see 30C temperatures just north of London and a small chance of seeing 31C (87.8F).

Greenwich Park - PA

"The heat will be very much concentrated in the south-east corner of the UK, with a cold front across more northern areas.

"As well as being very hot it will become increasingly humid, so it's going to feel really quite sticky and muggy by the early evening."

But immediately after the possible peak weather of the year, thunderstorms are predicted to sweep through London and much of the south of England.

PA

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place from 6pm on Wednesday lasting throughout Thursday until midnight, and the Met Office say there is potential for travel disruption and flooding in "three potential rounds of thunderstorms."

The Met Office has also issued yellow warnings for storms which could cause flooding and power cuts in south-east England for another 24 hours from 9am on Friday.

Hour by hour forecast for June 16

8am: 17C

9am: 19C

10am: 21C

11am: 23C

12am: 24C

1pm: 26C

2pm: 27C

3pm: 28C

4pm: 29C

5pm: 29C

6pm: 28C

7pm: 28C

8pm: 27C

9pm: 26C