UK weather forecast: Hottest day of the year to see temperatures soar above 30c

However, the sunshine may not hold as the weekend is set to be more cloudy with a chance of some scattered showers with temperatures remaining high.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued several heat health alerts for the South East from early Thursday morning.

The government agency said the warm weather could have "minor impacts" across the health and social care sector, including an increase of mortality amongst vulnerable individuals. It warned that it could see an increased use of healthcare services.

Meteorologists from the Met Office have forecast that it will be mostly cloudy throughout tomorrow, Thursday morning but remaining dry.

It is forecast to remain hot with sunny spells developing through the morning and light winds continuing into the afternoon with a maximum temperature 27 °C.

The heat is expected to rise even further on Friday, reaching a 32C peak in London, when forecasters say the Capital will be "possibly feeling very warm."

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However, the weekend is expected to be cooler with highs of 28C and some showers possible on Saturday.

It comes as parts of the country have already well-exceeded July’s average rainfall figures despite only being halfway through the month.

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said: "There are quite big regional differences but overall it’s looking like a wet month so far. There is a caveat that, with a dry couple of weeks, by the end of the month things could even themselves out.”

She said that two or three heavy downpours often caused much of a location’s July rainfall totals, rather than a prolonged period of wet weather.

St Swithin’s Day on Monday – traditionally said to predict the next 40 days of weather – was another wet one for much of England and Wales.

But the Met Office said conditions next week would be "changeable" rather than just rainy, with temperatures close to average.