Hot yes, exceptional, certainly not and the widespread storms following the hottest day of the year is fairly typical when you’ve got a cold front bumping into a very warm, juicy air mass. The atmosphere is simply doing what it should be doing. Some of these storms may seem dramatic, especially over Scotland but simply because it’s been several years since we’ve had heat, humidity and a system combine.

Yesterday was one of those ‘hot days’ of summer from southern Spain to central Scotland.

Spain and France highs

UK highs

Significant rail disruption yesterday due to heat affecting the tracks.

While the UK mainland maximum was 33.5C at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, hot but by no means exceptional (likely tempered by wet soil) the UK’s highest reading was on Jersey and it was the hottest July day on record there too.

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Highest recorded temperature in the UK by year since 2001.

It’s certainly been a lively and energetic night up the through the western and northern half of the British Isles.

Earlier infrared showed an almost MCS look with thunderstorms clustering over NW England/SW Scotland with cloud tops cooling to -54C.

It’s a stormy, soggy day over central and northern parts but remaining hot in the SE this afternoon.

Latest ECMWF surface shows the storms drifting east, followed behind by fresher Atlantic air.

A noticeable 24 hour difference at 850mb

Much fresher night ahead for sleeping with marked reduction in humidity which is responsible for holding temps up at night.

Drier conditions with showers take us into the second half of the week and despite much fresher, clean air, the strong July sunshine will still help push temps to 21C in Scotland and 25/26C in SE England.

See today’s video.

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