UK weather forecast: Temperatures to rise to 33C before thunderstorms and heavy rain batter Britain

Record for hottest late August bank holiday broken on Sunday with 33.2 temperatures

Britain will enjoy one last day of hot weather before the record-breaking heatwave gives way to thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Southern and eastern areas are expected to see a fourth day of high temperatures on Tuesday, with the mercury reaching 33C in some places.

It comes after the record temperature for a late August bank holiday weekend, set as 31.5C in 2001, was broken on Sunday when temperatures reached 33.2C at Heathrow.

However things will begin to change towards the end of Tuesday and forecasters have warned of unsettled weather to come for some parts of the UK.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: “The heatwave is going to continue for some of us for another day with temperatures reaching around 33C, but also across the UK we are also starting to see a transition with some places seeing cloud and fresher air.

“This cloud will start to move up across Devon and Cornwall and through this evening it will come across northern and central parts of the UK.”

Tuesday is expected to remain largely dry with scattered showers gradually moving eastward from the South West coast and through the Midlands.

The temperatures will then drop to the high 20s, and the risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms will increase as the week goes on.

The cloud and risk of thunderstorms will draw up across Northern Ireland and will bring cloud to more parts of the country.

Mr Snell said: “For some of us we have still got some hot weather to come but that transition over the next 48 hours will come with a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

During Monday’s record-breaking temperatures, Bala in Snowdonia National Park was the warmest place in Wales, with a top temperature of 25.5C.

Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, reached 25C and Helen’s Bay in Northern Ireland saw the mercury rise to 21.9C.

The previous best August Bank Holiday temperatures before this weekend were 31.5C at Heathrow in 2001, 27.3C in Velindre, Powys, in Wales, and 27C in Knockareven, Co Fermanagh, both in 2003, and 26.7C in Aviemore, Scotland, in 1984.

Press Association contributed to this report.