Sunshine, it was Kremmen who washed his car again! Just to make it rain!

(It to would NEVER be Jim anyway, Mrs Jim does it! )

Kremm is definately Old Skool. I don't know anyone else who still washes their own car, so fair play to you K

The cool spell was indeed temporary here on the north west London Savannah. Once the cloud cover cleared here this afternoon the temperature rocketed from 20c (68f ) at 1:30pm to reach 27c ( 81f ) by 4pm. The BBC website is predicting 34c at Heathrow tomorrow

The warmest place in the UK on Saturday was the famous Scottish ski resort of Aviemore with a quite remarkable 29.2c.

It's all eyes to the south now as a cluster of thunderstorms have broken out in north west France this afternoon and are attempting to make their way across the English Channel. This could be the pattern for the next few days as a plume of hot and humid air engages with the Jet stream sinking south, and cooler air attempts to move in from the north and west of the UK. It has the potential to be a lively spell of weather.

Moley

This from one of the most reliable weather websites I am a member of, and they tend not to exaggerate :

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?acti ... 5302;sess=

Moley

The first batch of thunderstorms have recently arrived on the South Coast in the region of Dorset and Hampshire.

First reports suggest these storms are quite strong, with frequent lightning and winds gusting to 40mph. Based on the information currently available, all the signs are that thunderstorms will become more widespread and intensify in the next 24 -48 hours, becoming quite severe in places.

I will be trying to keep updated, but in the meantime please check the official Met Office website for further information.

Moley

Quite warm this morning with a very slight drizzle. looking at teh colour of the sky it wouldn't surprise me if we were due a real hum-dinger later

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Lets be careful out there !

Red sky at night.

Shepherds cottage alight

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Its not always the biggest and the bestest, its them that make the least mistakes.

*** UPDATED MONDAY JULY 22ND 2013 @ 19:00 Hours ***

Heathrow earlier reported the hottest day of the year so far at 33.5c ( 92f ) according to the Met Office. Sunday's UK maximum was recorded at Aviemore for the second day running, 29.6c there. Not bad for a ski resort !!

For the next few days though attention turns to the prospect of thunderstorms and rainfall as the High Pressure system breaks down and we see a return to unsettled weather and temperatures closer to the average for this time of year.

In addition to the thunderstorms which erupted late yesterday evening in parts of Dorset/Hampshire and Wiltshere, there was apparently a quite lively thunderstorm at around 6am this morning closer to home. Iv'e seen a number of good reports about this from folk in Heathrow, Twickenham, Brentford, Putney and Kilburn. I didn't see or hear a thing here in Northwood !!

Todays storms have already sparked off this afternoon, and again Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire seem to be the prime spots for now.

Later on tonight and into tomorrow the potential is there for more widespread thunderstorms to develop, and these are expected to reach London and much of the South East overnight. The timing is near impossible to predict, as are the exact locations, but based on current information I would say midnight onwards for the London area.

These storms MAY be quite severe compared to storms of recent years, so could initiate frequent lightning, torrential rain and possibly hail in some places. I will try and update this page as and when I can.

Moley

So is it definitely a case of 'The Rains they are a coming'?

Rain this morning with more on the way. We do need it though.

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Lets be careful out there !

I was woken just after 4am this morning by a very distant rumble of thunder so got up for tea and toast, and to watch the 'storm'. I should have stayed in bed. 4 or 5 faint flashes of lightning, 2 further barely audible rumbles of thunder and 3 minutes of 'rainfall' that just about dampened the pavement. Warm though, it hasn't fallen below 21c here overnight.

Elsewhere around the country it sounds as though all hell has let loose with widespread and often violent thunderstorms being reported.

Iv'e seen literally dozens of accounts many of which are reporting similar conditions. Near constant lightning, deafening thunder and torrential rain. In many places these conditions have persisted for several hours, other places have had several storms in succession with short breaks in between. Many people are saying these are some of the worst storms they have seen.

Amongst the worst hit areas are Kent and Essex in our region. Further afield parts of Wiltshire, Bristol and Avon, Shropshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. These are just some of the areas covered by frequent reports overnight. Sussex seems to have escaped completely, along with Surrey, Hampshire and most of the London area.

I'm really not too sure what to expect for the rest of today for London and The South East to be honest, given that conditions were absolutely ripe overnight, yet very little ( if anything ) happened for most of us. More storms are expected throughout the day, but I won't even try and hazard a guess as to where and when.........sorry.

Moley.