Thunderstorms and torrential downpours forecast as Britain continues to swelter in heatwave

Parts of England could be lashed by thunderstorms and heavy rainfall as most of the UK enjoys more hot sunshine.

Parts of Devon and Cornwall could see “a few heavy showers bubbling up” on Monday afternoon with the chance of “torrential downpours”, Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said.

Elsewhere, temperatures are widely into the mid-20s, with a maximum of around 30C (86F) possible in southern areas, meaning tennis lovers should see plenty of action as the Wimbledon championships begin.

The Met Office issued its first weather warning for thunderstorms on Sunday after heavy downpours hit parts of southern England, but no warnings were in place on Monday.

Ms Mitchell said: “There’s a lot of sunshine on offer, a bright and warm start to the day.

“Perhaps one or two showers affecting some central areas and stretching down towards the South East as well but they are very isolated.

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“Later into the afternoon though towards Devon and Cornwall we will start to see a few heavy showers bubbling up. Some of these could be thundery and locally some torrential downpours too.

“But otherwise it’s a dry day on the cards, a little bit more in the way of cloud for the North East.”

Any showers in the South West are expected to clear out by the evening, she added.

Ladbrokes has the UK at 4/6 to see 35C (95F) during the week.

For the rest of the week, Ms Mitchell added: “High pressure is largely in charge, we’ll see a lot more in the way of dry weather.

“Strong sunshine does mean temperatures will regularly get into the mid-to-high 20s for quite a few spots across the UK.

“This does mean though there is a risk of thundery showers still, they’ll be very hit-and-miss I think most places this week will stay largely dry.”

Meanwhile, Wimbledon’s head groundsman Neil Stubley has denied the grass is longer at the All England Club this year and is confident the courts can handle the heat, after Rafael Nadal said he thought the grass was longer than in previous years.

Mr Stubley, the head of courts and horticulture, said: “Still 8mm, that’s the height we’ve played for many years now and it’s exactly the same this year.”

Last year the state of the courts during a hot first week of play was criticised by a number of players, with France’s Kristina Mladenovic branding them dangerous.