Shropshire heatwave to end in storm

Phew! Shropshire was basking in glorious sunshine again today – but make the most of it, because temperatures are set to drop with thunderstorms predicted for Wednesday in the county.

The county was bathed in scorching temperatures which reached 27C (80.6F) in places yesterday. But there will be a cooling this week, including thunderstorms on Wednesday.

And the Diamond Jubilee bank holiday weekend looks set to be 'substantially cooler'.

• Check the latest local weather forecasts

Today the county was predicted to bask in 24C (75F) heat, dropping down to 20C (68F) for the next two days.

But although Wednesday will still be warm, forecasters are warning of thunder and lightning – sparking fears of more grass fires across the region.

However, by next weekend's jubliee bash, temperatures will be down to 16C?(60F) for both Sunday and Monday in the county, which will be pleasant, but nothing like the last few days' heat.

Forecaster Sally Webb of MeteoGroup said today will be another sunny day across most of the UK but temperatures will be slightly cooler than yesterday in Shropshire.

And by Thursday, maximum temperatures are likely to be down to 17C or 18C and a similar level is likely to be maintained into Saturday.

Average maximum temperatures for England in May are 14C to 17C (57.2F to 62.6F), while Scotland would normally be between 13C and 15C (55.4F to 59F).

Last week was the driest since the end of March, according to the Environment Agency.

The highest temperature in Shropshire yesterday was 25C (77F), which was recorded in Shawbury just before 4pm.

By mid-afternoon, Wisley in Surrey, had the highest temperature at 27.4C (81.3F). Another hot-spot was Porthmadog, in north Wales, which reached 26.9C (80.4F).