UK weather: Flood warnings for north west England and Scotland as temperatures set to soar above 30C again

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected for the north of England and parts of Scotland today, as the temperature is set to exceed 30 degrees again in London and the south.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning covering most of the UK stretching until Thursday evening, although southern parts of the country are expected to enjoy finer weather after heavy rain on Monday.

Forecasters say an area of heavy rain and thunderstorms is expected to move north across parts of Scotland this morning, with scattered storms expected for other parts of the country, and very hot weather expected for the south-east.

Following Monday's rainfall, the Environment Agency has issued four warnings for expected flooding in the north-west - two at Lancaster and two at Ulverston.

Five flood alerts - warning of possible flooding - are in place for Birmingham and surrounding districts.

Flood alerts have been issued for 19 locations in Scotland, with one also current for the Vyrnwy catchment area in Wales.

Some heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for the north of England tonight, in what will be a warm night for most parts of the nation.

Coral, the bookmaker, now makes it evens for this month to be the wettest August on record in the UK.

The firm are offering 5-4 for this month to end as the hottest since records began, while they go 6-4 for the UK to have its highest ever temperature this year.

"With more torrential downpours set to hit parts of the country, we could be set for the wettest August of all time," said Coral's John Hill.

London is expected to record a top temperature of 33 degrees on Tuesday afternoon. Birmingham's forecast maximum is 30 degrees.

Wednesday is expected to be very hot again in the south.

The Met Office warned flash flooding could cause travel disruption and power cuts, but also cautioned about the risks caused by fast flowing or deep floodwater.

The current heatwave is nowhere near the infamous summer of 1976, one of the longest in living memory in the UK, when temperatures reached 32C or higher somewhere in the country for 15 consecutive days.

UK headed for more thunder after 50,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours

BBC Weather Watchers have said that there were around 50,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours across the UK following the weekend heatwave.

But parts of the UK are headed for even more lightning later today, with thunderstorms across the north of England and Scotland.

London and the south east could see lightning storms too.

Tributes paid to mother who drowned on sunny beach trip

In Norfolk, tributes have been paid to a loving mother who died after she went into the sea to save her youngest son who had got into difficulty in a kayak.

Danielle Chilvers, 37, was at the beach at Waxham in the county when the tragedy unfolded on Sunday.

The mother-of-two, whose eldest son is 17, went into the water to help her 14-year-old son and his friend, who were in a kayak.

But she got caught in a suspected riptide, and although rescuers brought her to shore she was pronounced dead in hospital.

The two boys managed to get to safety.

Her former partner Kevin Kazer, who is the father of her two sons, said: "The sea looks flat as a pancake and calm as anything, but a riptide has just taken her.

"None of us are going in the sea any more, that's for sure."

The 45-year-old printer said he had been separated from Ms Chilvers for 10 years but they "always got on really well" and their sons, who he asked not to be named, are now living with him.

"She was a wonderful person," said Mr Kazer. "She liked flowers, she loved gardening, she had an allotment."