BRITAIN'S four-day heatwave is set to end in a washout on Sunday – with three weeks worth of rain falling in three hours, the Met Office has warned.
Flash floods and blackouts are expected to douse the scorcher into next week, with a risk of intense thundery downpours soaking the nation.
Temperatures as high as 35C continued to dry out rivers and gardens today, with a drought declared across England this morning.
But the extreme dry spell is set to end from Sunday afternoon in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with England and Wales following on Monday.
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued for next week, with forecasters warning some parts of the country will see 50mm of rain in three hours.
Others will see "intense thunderstorms," hail and frequent lightning.
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Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Jason Kelly, said: “The current hot weather will make way for a thundery breakdown from the west, which will spread south and east in the early part of next week.
"Ahead of this, isolated but intense thunderstorms are possible Sunday and Monday.
“The warnings highlight the chance of some places seeing around 50mm of rain falling in a three-hour period in the north, with some areas further south possibly seeing around 30mm of rain in a three-hour period. "
He added: "Hail and frequent lightning are also possible as part of these downpours and represents an additional hazard.
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“We’re continuing to monitor how these thundery showers develop on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
"There’s a chance of some quite intense downpours at times for some areas and we’re refining the likely location of these in the coming days.”
A four-day amber alert for extreme heat from the Met Office is currently in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday, with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel.
The National Drought Group (NDG) met today to discuss the continued dry weather – and later confirmed the widespread drought.
The warnings highlight the chance of some places seeing around 50mm of rain falling in a three-hour period in the north, with some areas further south possibly seeing around 30mm of rain in a three-hour period.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs declared the most affected areas of England – the South West, parts of southern and central, and the East – were to be moved into drought status.
This includes: Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent, south London and East Sussex, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and the East Midlands.
Yorkshire and the West Midlands are expected to be moved into the drought category later this month.
The Environment Agency (EA) and water companies are expected to implement further plans to manage the impact of low water levels, which may include further hosepipe bans – though they insist supplies are safe.
Restrictions are already in place across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, Kent and Sussex amid a prolonged dry spell and "record demand".
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Welsh Water has also announced those living in Pembrokeshire can no longer use hosepipes or sprinklers from August 19, and Thames Water has warned bans could cover Greater London, Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire and northern Wiltshire in the "coming weeks".
Yorkshire Water also became the fifth company in England and Wales to announce a ban, which begins on August 26.
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