Scattered thunderstorms to mix with heat as temperatures up to 34C forecast
A yellow thunderstorm weather warning covering all of northern England, from Nottingham up to above Newcastle, will come into force from 5pm and last until 3am on Sunday.
The Met Office warned the most intense storms could produce 'frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds', along with a chance of flooding.
Parts of eastern England could also see temperatures peak high enough to eclipse the 32.2C seen on Thursday and become the hottest day of the year so far.
An amber heat-health alert for all regions in England is also in place for the whole of the weekend, after heatwaves were triggered across the county and in Wales on Friday.
Northern Ireland provisionally recorded its warmed June night on record, the Met Office said, as the temperature at Aldergrove did not drop below 18.2C over the 24 hours from Friday morning to Saturday morning
Large crowds gathered at Stonehenge for the annual summer solstice early on Saturday morning, with temperatures reaching 18C by 5am for those observing the spectacle.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: 'There are scattered thunderstorms coming through.
'Some of the rain could be quite intense, and frequent lightning, hail, gusty winds and some heavy downpours, which we haven't seen for a while.
'Some of the ground is quite hard at the moment, and when you get heavy rain hitting hard ground, it can cause surface water issues.
'You might find surface water on the roads, drains finding it difficult to cope and a small chance of homes being flooded.'
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
The Met Office confirmed that 'many places' in England and 'one or two areas' in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave on Friday.
Aidan McGovern, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: 'At the moment, the temperatures will be highest towards the east, [with] lower temperatures in the west compared with Friday but still high humidity, so it's going to feel oppressive in many places, and [there is] always a chance of some showers developing as the day progresses, particularly towards the west.
'Temperatures [will be] peaking at 31 to 33, or 34C, somewhere between London and Midlands and north-east England.'
There will also be very high UV and pollen levels across the country on Saturday, the forecaster said.
Temperatures reached 32.2C in Kew, west London, on Thursday, making it the warmest day of the year so far, while Friday saw highs of 30.8C recorded in both England and Wales.
The amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday.
It warns 'significant impacts are likely' across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions.
Following the hot weather, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) urged the public to take heat and water safety seriously.
During 2022's heatwave, temperatures rose past 40C, leading to 320 people being treated in hospital.
Steve Cole, policy director at RoSPA, said: 'Heat is no longer just a holiday perk — it's a growing public health risk.
'We're seeing more frequent and intense heatwaves, both in the UK and globally, and the data shows a clear rise in heat-related illness and fatalities.
'Warm weather can also be deceptive when it comes to going for a dip.
'While the air may feel hot, water temperatures often remain dangerously cold, which can lead to cold-water shock, even in summer.'
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