Amber thunderstorm warning in force after UK's hottest day

A woman enjoys the sunshine at the US Embassy Park in London

An amber weather warning for thunderstorms came into force for parts of eastern and south-eastern England on Friday night, as the UK had its warmest day of the year so far.

Thunderstorms are also expected to lash across other parts of the country, with a yellow warning issued for most parts over the weekend.

The Met Office has warned flooding of homes and power cuts are likely, as are cancellations to train and bus services and difficult road conditions.

Overnight, thunderstorms brought extremely heavy rainfall to parts of Kent, with the Dover area experiencing flooding.

Sun-kissed beaches in Eastbourne, Sussex, on Friday

The rain and lightning rolled in after the highest temperature was recorded in village Santon Downham in West Suffolk with 29.4C, according to Met Office provisional figures.

Friday exceeded the 29.3C recorded in Kew, London, on 1 May.

Scotland also had its warmest day of the year so far with 25.7C recorded at Lossiemouth in Moray.

"Today has been very warm for much of the UK, and hot in the South East where temperatures were comfortably 9C or 10C higher than the average expected for this time of year," a spokesperson for the Met Office said.

It comes as an amber warning for thunderstorms was issued for an area in the east and south-east from Eastbourne, Sussex, in the south up to Cromer in north Norfolk from 20:00 BST on Friday till 05:00 on Saturday.

The Met Office said some places within the area covered by its amber warning could see 30-50mm of rain and winds in excess of 40-50mph.

A swan in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, photographed on the warmest day of the year so far

Frequent lightning and intense downpours will lead to flash flooding.

It warned fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life.

• How to stay safe during a storm and what to do in a power cut

• How do UK weather warnings work?

The Met Office said people in the affected areas should prepare to avoid travelling by road during potentially dangerous road conditions, drive cautiously if they must travel, and avoid floodwater where possible.

They should stay indoors as much as possible and consider checking on people they know who are vulnerable and may need support with food or medical supplies, it said.

RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said that "amber weather warnings must be taken seriously."

"Strong winds increase the chance of trees and powerlines falling and this combined with torrential rain over a short period can make driving much more challenging," she said.

"Anyone not confident driving in the conditions may wish to postpone their journeys until the stormy weather passes."

Yellow weather warnings are also in force more generally across eastern and southern England and Wales where the thunderstorms could be just as severe but more localised.

Into Saturday there will be more showers and thunderstorms across western parts of England, Wales and into Scotland where there is a further yellow severe weather warning.

The yellow warnings for thunderstorms are in place in:

• South-west England and Wales from 14:00 to 23:59 on Friday

• Eastern and south-eastern England from 19:00 on Friday to 06:00 on Saturday

• Wales, western and northern England and Scotland from 00:00 to 18:00 on Saturday

The heat and humidity has been building gradually, especially across northern and eastern parts of England.

The high temperatures on Friday were around 7 to 10C above average for the time of year.

With the rising humidity and heat, thunderstorms will bring the end to the hot spell.

Temperatures will be lower on Saturday with highs like low to mid-twenties across eastern England and high teens elsewhere.

Soaking up the sun in Felixstowe, Sussex