UK weather: Hottest day of the year expected as Britain sizzles in temperatures hotter than Brazil

The sunshine is set to continue next week but temperatures will cool off

People relax in deck chairs during the hot weather on Brighton beach on 1 August, 2013 (AFP) (AFP)

Today looks set to be the hottest day of the year so far, as England and Wales bask in temperatures hotter than parts of Brazil.

The heatwave could push temperatures up to 27C beating Paris, Berlin and even the World Cup host city of Rio de Janeiro.

Players might be thankful for the cooler weather at the tournament that kicked off on Thursday night, with Brazil beating Croatia in the low 20s in Sao Paulo.

The best of the weather will be on Friday as temperatures are set to dip to a more familiar level over the weekend, with the chance of storms coming in.

George Goodfellow, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “By this evening we're likely to see some thunderstorms and showers, and over the weekend there will be a noticeable drop in temperature.

"It will drop to what we are used to seeing in June, around 21 or 22C, so it should still be a nice weekend."

Simon Partridge, from the Met Office, explained that long spells of humidity lead to a build-up of cloud and heavy downpours.

"We do have a weak front system bringing a lot of cloud with it," he said. "That cloud will thicken through the morning into the late afternoon and early evening, bringing the chance of rain."

It is expected to remain cloudy in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which have missed out on the sunny spell enjoyed by the rest of the UK.

Conditions are set to pick up again from Sunday, but may struggle to reach the high temperatures experienced this week, Mr Partridge said.

The good weather is well-timed for the hundreds of thousands of festival-goers attending the Isle of Wight Festival and Download over the weekend.

Additional reporting by PA