UK weather: After floods comes another heatwave as Britain braces for temperatures topping 30C

Weather experts say the weekend's torrential rain has now largely passed, with hot, dry weather to come

A man cools himself down. Hot summers are expected to become the norm by 2040 (Rex Features)

Parts of the UK were drenched by up to 66 millimetres of rain over the weekend – but the wet weather is easing off today and temperatures are set to soar again later this week.

Flooding from summer storms brought parts of the country to a standstill over the past two days, and the Met Office issued an amber severe weather warning, meaning “be prepared”.

Homes and communities in south-east England were flooded after torrential downpours on Sunday, with people stranded in vehicles, roads blocked by rising waters and properties damaged by lightning.

And in Gloucestershire, 66mm of rain fell between 6am and 6pm on Saturday – higher than the average monthly rainfall of 60.6mm.

But meteorologists have said the wet spell has largely passed, with hot, dry weather now on the way.

The Environment Agency has removed 33 flood alerts in the last 24 hours. Some 21 flood alerts still remain, the majority in the South East, as agency staff monitor river levels, though these are expected to fall.

The Met Office has also removed the severe weather warnings it had in place over the weekend, with dry weather and sunshine expected in most parts today, with some isolated showers in the east.

Temperatures are likely to soar again later in the week, with the mercury possibly topping 30C (86F).

But the heat is again likely to bring with it the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms, especially in the south, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Laura Caldwell, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “It is going to be warm, quite hot even, in places through the week. Pretty much everywhere across the UK will see above average temperatures, with peaks of 30C (86F) on Thursday and Friday.

"Hopefully for the first day or two of the week it shouldn't be too unsettled, with dry and fine weather in most places. But as we get to Wednesday and into Thursday there is a chance of some heavy and thundery showers breaking out in south and south western parts.

“On Thursday there are hints there could be widespread thunder storms, as we saw over the weekend, though it is hard to say whether they will be as intense.”

Additional reporting by Press Association