UK weather: Hurricane Chris to see thunderstorms sweep Britain before temperatures hit 32C over weekend

Warnings in place for Friday evening, but temperatures will rise again as Wimbledon finals take place on Centre Court

Thunderstorms look set to strike the UK on Friday evening before rains give way to sweltering temperatures on Wimbledon finals weekend.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for large parts of southern England, Wales and the East Midlands, as heavy rains and thunder are expected to arrive.

Between two and three centimetres of rain an hour could fall during the storms, which may produce flooding in some isolated areas.

The stormy weather is being caused by the remnants of Hurricane Chris, which has drawn a front of low pressure across the Atlantic from the East Coast of America.

However, the storm will then allow a new warm front from the south to sweep across the UK on Saturday, leading to what should be a warm and dry weekend for most.

On Sunday, temperatures in London look set to reach 28C, while parts of southern and central England could see the mercury soar to 31C or 32C.

“Weather warnings are only in place on Friday until 8pm, there may still be a couple of isolated showers after that, but most should be left with some pretty clear skies for the rest of the evening,” said Met Office meteorologist Dean Hall.

“Any remaining cloud should burn off by Saturday morning, leaving generally fine and dry weather.

“In areas of England such as Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire of Northamptonshire, we should see up to 31C on Sunday, with the small possibility of temperatures reaching 32C.”

The new warm front has also reduced the likelihood the roof on Centre Court at Wimbledon will need to be deployed on finals weekend.

There is a small possibility a short shower may interrupt the women’s final between Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber at SW19 on Sunday, but men’s final day looks set to be a balmy affair.

“It is most likely to stay dry and warm, especially on Sunday, where there should be play all day,” Mr Hall added.

“Saturday there is a chance of some isolated showers, but the general outlook is for warm, dry conditions for Wimbledon over the weekend.”