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UK weather: 'Odds on' for UK's hottest day on Thursday UK heatwave: Temperatures 'set to break records'
(about 2 hours later)
Thursday could be the UK's hottest day on record, forecasters have said. Temperatures continue to soar around the UK as forecasters anticipate what could be the hottest day on record.
Temperatures in London could reach a record-breaking 39C (102.2F) on Thursday, beating the previous all-time high of 38.5C recorded at Faversham in Kent in 2003. The Met Office says southern and eastern England could experience a record-breaking 39C (102.2F) on Thursday, beating the all-time high of 38.5C recorded in 2003.
The Met Office said there is a 60% chance that the record will be broken. It said there was a 60% chance that the record would be broken.
Thunderstorms swept across much of the UK on Tuesday night, ahead of the possible record-breaking heat, with 48,000 lightning strikes reported. Meanwhile, a body has been found after three people went missing in different parts of the River Thames on Tuesday.
Forecasters say temperatures in some parts could reach 36C (97F) later on Wednesday. Northern Ireland and western Scotland are expected to be the coolest areas with temperatures in the low 20s. Police believe it is a 23-year-old man who vanished while swimming with friends near Shadwell Basin in Wapping, east London.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms which are expected to affect most of England and southern Scotland from 16:00 on Thursday and last into the early hours of Friday morning. Forecasters say temperatures in some parts of the country could reach 36C (97F) later on Wednesday. Northern Ireland and western Scotland are expected to be the coolest areas with temperatures in the low 20s.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms which are expected to affect most of England and southern Scotland from 16:00 on Thursday and last into the early hours of Friday morning.
Thunderstorms swept across much of the UK on Tuesday night, with 48,000 lightning strikes reported.
The NHS has tweeted advice for dealing with the unusually hot temperatures and said: "Try to avoid spending extended periods in the sun this week. Also, be aware that vulnerable people are at increased risk of health issues."The NHS has tweeted advice for dealing with the unusually hot temperatures and said: "Try to avoid spending extended periods in the sun this week. Also, be aware that vulnerable people are at increased risk of health issues."
The London Ambulance service added: "If catching a train or the Tube in this hot weather make sure you carry a bottle of water and step off the train at the next station if you feel unwell."The London Ambulance service added: "If catching a train or the Tube in this hot weather make sure you carry a bottle of water and step off the train at the next station if you feel unwell."
Network Rail has said that speed restrictions may need to be introduced on Thursday "at vulnerable locations" to "reduce the likelihood of buckling". Councils have called on the public to check on family and friends, warning that the elderly and those with heart and respiratory problems were most at risk from the hot weather.
Network Rail has said speed restrictions may need to be introduced on Thursday "at vulnerable locations" to "reduce the likelihood of buckling".
It advised passengers to check their trains before they travel.It advised passengers to check their trains before they travel.
Rail operator Southeastern has said it will run a "significantly reduced service" on Thursday due to the speed restrictions.Rail operator Southeastern has said it will run a "significantly reduced service" on Thursday due to the speed restrictions.
Elsewhere, passengers on a Eurostar train travelling from Brussels to London were stranded in 38C on Wednesday morning, after their train broke down due to an overhead power supply problem. The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, advised passengers in London and the South East to consider changing their travel plans on Thursday because of the expected heat.
Meanwhile, passengers on a Eurostar train travelling from Brussels to London were stranded in 38C on Wednesday morning, after their train broke down due to an overhead power supply problem.
The train was evacuated and passengers were given bottles of water while they waited for another train to collect them.The train was evacuated and passengers were given bottles of water while they waited for another train to collect them.
Police divers were called out on Tuesday evening to three different stretches of the Thames in Greater London, following reports of people getting into difficulty in the water. Eurostar advised people not to travel on its Brussels route because the power issue was causing "significant delays", as well as some cancellations.
The Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday that the body of a 23-year-old man had been recovered from the river near Wapping, east London. Belgium's record temperature was broken on Wednesday as temperatures soared in Western Europe.
A spokesman said: "The death is not being treated as suspicious. Searches continue to locate two other males currently missing in the Thames." The town of Kleine Brogel in Limburg province hit 38.9C (102F), beating the previous record set in 1947.
Lightning, fire and floods The French city of Bordeaux also hit its highest temperature since records began, registering 41.2C (106.1F).
Elsewhere, houses in Cheshire, Warwickshire and north Wales caught fire after being hit by lightning, while a taxi driver had to be rescued from flood water in Newbridge, Caerphilly county. Lightning 'like a gunshot'
People in parts of England and Wales are inspecting damage to their property following the fierce thunderstorms on Tuesday night.
One house in north Wales caught fire after being hit by lightning.
Megan Zahra, from Wrexham, said a lightning strike sounded "like a gunshot" when it set her bedroom roof on fire.Megan Zahra, from Wrexham, said a lightning strike sounded "like a gunshot" when it set her bedroom roof on fire.
She woke up but thought it was a noise from outside and did not know the roof was on fire until her stepfather arrived to get her out.She woke up but thought it was a noise from outside and did not know the roof was on fire until her stepfather arrived to get her out.
Ms Zahra, 23, told BBC Wales: "I heard this big... it was like a gunshot or an explosion. I thought it was just outside here so I checked the window and didn't see anything so I got back into bed.Ms Zahra, 23, told BBC Wales: "I heard this big... it was like a gunshot or an explosion. I thought it was just outside here so I checked the window and didn't see anything so I got back into bed.
"About 15 minutes later my stepdad was outside going, you need to get out, it's on fire.""About 15 minutes later my stepdad was outside going, you need to get out, it's on fire."
Two lightning spotters in Lancashire had to be rescued from a beach by police when their car got stuck amid a "spectacular" overnight thunderstorm. In Lancashire, two lightning spotters had to be rescued from a beach by police when their car got stuck amid a "spectacular" storm.
Lancashire Road Police said the pair were parked on sand off Carr Lane in Middleton, near Morecambe, when the car became embedded.Lancashire Road Police said the pair were parked on sand off Carr Lane in Middleton, near Morecambe, when the car became embedded.
Officers helped release them before the tide came in and have urged people not to try and drive on to beaches.Officers helped release them before the tide came in and have urged people not to try and drive on to beaches.
Lightning damage to a signalling system at Wakefield Westgate station in west Yorkshire led to fewer trains running on Wednesday morning, train operator Northern said.
Damaged signalling equipment has also affected trains in the Highlands and cross-border services between Scotland and England.
Meanwhile, Western Europe is braced for temperatures of more than 40C.
The French city of Bordeaux hit its highest temperature since records began on Tuesday - with Meteo France registering 41.2C (106.1F).
A World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman said the heatwaves bore "the hallmark of climate change".