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UK weather: Thunderstorms could bring torrential rain and hail after long stretch of sunshine

There could be lightning in England and Wales this week. File pic

Large parts of the UK could be hit by thunderstorms this week, the Met Office has warned.

A yellow warning has been issued covering much of the country from Monday to Thursday for thunderstorms that could be "significant and disruptive".

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: "For England and Wales over the next four days, there is a risk of some very severe weather in places but it is not going to be everywhere.

"Away from the thunderstorms, it is still going to be very hot.

"It is not going to be wall-to-wall sunshine, but it is not going to be a washout each day."

If thunderstorms break out, there is a risk of torrential rain, hail, lightning and strong winds in much of England and Wales.

Some places could see up to 30mm of rain in an hour, with potentially up to 60mm in three hours.

Regarding Monday, Mr Snell said: "The warning does not imply that everyone is going to see them (thunderstorms) - a lot of places will remain dry, sunny and hot - but we will see some fairly severe thunderstorms developing over the course of the day."

Western areas will be more at risk of thunderstorms but most parts will stay dry and the south east is expected to be sunny with a "high chance" of 36C (96.8F).

It comes after another hot day on Sunday, with 34C (93.2F) at Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and 33.8C (92.8F) at both Heathrow, London, and Gosport, Hampshire, the Met Office said.

On Saturday, as people packed the UK's beaches, HM Coastguard dealt with 340 incidents - the highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years.

A woman in her 30s drowned on Sunday at Waxham, Norfolk, and a search for a missing 12-year-old girl in the water at Balloch, Loch Lomond, in the west of Scotland, ended on Sunday night with police finding the child's body.