Parts of the UK are set for blistering temperatures with highs of 28C on Thursday afternoon. Much of the country will enjoy above 25C towards the back end of the week before cooling slightly for the weekend.

It comes following with amber thunderstorm warnings on Friday and Saturday. From Thursday, the south of the country will bask in hot weather while Scotland and the north of England will stay slightly cooler with temperatures around 21C. A Met Office long-range forecast for the period 18-27 June, said: "Most parts of the UK are expected to be fine and dry at the start of this period, then a broad northwest to southeast split is likely to develop in late June.

"The wettest and windiest conditions are expected to be in the northwest, with spells of rain at times which may be heavy in places."

They added: "Temperatures will likely be near normal or slightly above.

"More settled in the southeast with conditions drier overall, although some rain will probably spread from the west or northwest at times."

The warm weather will continue into Friday, with south London seeing highs of 28C, making it one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Further north will see small outbreaks of showers, particularly over Scotland and North Wales in the early hours of Friday morning.

However it will not be an official heatwave which, according to the , has to last three consecutive days and reach several criteria.

Warm weather intertwined with thunderstorms and rain has become a common fixture throughout June, with hot temperatures this week being met with and even causing thunderstorms over parts of the UK.

Yesterday, the Met Office issued an amber warning for severe thunderstorms with intense rainfall, frequent lightning, hail and gusty winds moving into the UK on Friday night and into Saturday.

Met Office chief meteorologist, Steve Ramsdale, said: "We are watching developments over northern France closely as thunderstorms develop in the warm, humid air over the continent. These thunderstorms are then expected to move into the southeast of England and East Anglia tonight (Friday night) bringing very frequent lightning, hail, and intense downpours of rain with gusty winds."

• Aberdeen.
• Dundee.
• Edinburgh.
• Glasgow.
• Inverness.
• Perth.
• Stirling.

• Newcastle
• Sunderland
• Carlisle
• York
• Hull
• Plymouth
• Exeter
• Truro

• Cardiff
• Swansea

• Armagh
• Belfast
• Derry
• Lisburn
• Newry