UK weather: Rain warnings for London as temperature drop brings end to British heatwave

Following an exceptionally warm weekend, unsettled conditions are set to creep its way back into the UK. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for rain in Wales, the Midlands, and southern England on 10 May, bringing an end to the sunny spells.

While the south west of England is set to see the worst of the wet weather, cities in the south east are also expected to see unsettled patterns. Forecasters have warned of heavy outbreaks of rain, including a risk of thunder and up to 30mm of rain accumulation.

A chief forecaster for the Met Office said: "Outbreaks of rain developing over parts of southern UK early on Tuesday are expected to become heavier and more widespread through the course of the day. In particular, during the late morning and afternoon, some heavy rain is likely at times, rain accompanied by thunder for some."

The rain warning comes into effect at 9am on 10 May and is expected to remain in place until 8pm that evening. The Met Office has warned of possible localised flooding in areas where the heaviest rain might occur, while the Environment Agency has issued a flood warning in the south west, prompting residents to take immediate action.

Alongside the rain warnings, the Met Office was warned that cooler air from the north is also set to bring temperatutes down across the country. While 9 May saw highs of 23C in the south east, temperatures here are expected to drop to 16C on 10 May and drop further to 14C by the weekend.

This will contrast greatly with the weekend temperatures, which saw records break across the country as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all saw their warmest day of the year on 8 May. Highs of 27C were recorded in Northolt (England), with 25C in Usk (Wales), 24C in Threave (Scotland) and 21C in Belfast.

On 7 May weather experts warned that Britain could be on route to having its hottest summer in 40 years, with May temperatures expecting to be warmer than average throughout. WeatherAction forecaster, Piers Corbyn, told the Mirror: "We are expecting very warm periods with notable Spanish plume events and bursts of heat from Africa. This is all to do with the wild jet stream bringing heat up from the south into Britain."