The Met Office has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms despite much of the country expecting heatwave conditions this weekend.
The yellow-level warning covers much of England as well as parts of Wales. Towns and cities under the warning include Manchester, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Leicester, Peterborough and Oxford.
It is set to come into force from 2pm on Saturday (September 9), lasting until 9pm.
READ MORE: UK weather maps show hottest places this weekend as 'heatwave will feel like 37C'
The warning states: "While most places will stay dry, a few places may see heavy, slow moving showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening.
"Where these develop, heavy downpours are possible with 30 to 50mm of rain possible in 1 to 2 hours or less. Large hail and lightning are likely additional hazards."
People in the impacted region have been told they could face both "sudden flooding" and "lightning strikes". This could in turn cause travel disruptions as well as power cuts.
The warning adds: "There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds."
All of this is despite the Met Office predicting temperatures as high as 31C in the area covered by the warning on Saturday.
Weather forecasters say Saturday could actually bring a new record temperature for the year.
Thursday (September 6) marked the hottest day of the year so far as 32.6C was recorded in Wisley, Surrey, exceeding the previous record of 32.2C from June.
The mercury is expected to hit 32C in London and the south-east on Saturday, possibly even reaching as high as 33C.
Elsewhere, 31C is expected in Norfolk, the Midlands and Yorkshire. The south coast should see highs of 30C.
Cardiff can expect 29C and other parts of the country will hover somewhere between 24C and 27C.
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