Watford is in for an intense warm spell today, in what could be the hottest day of the year so far.

The Met Office is predicting 31C temperatures for the town between 3pm and 5pm today.

The UK's meteorological service recommends that people keep curtains closed during the peak of the day and drink lots of water.

“It’s going to be hot," said Met Office forecaster Craig Snell. “The weather is coming with a lot of humidity, so it will feel quite uncomfortable out there across central eastern England.

“Elsewhere, it’s still going to be warm and humid, but the hottest weather will be in central eastern England.”

High pressure winds drawing in warm air from Europe caused temperatures to climb on Sunday and remain high on Monday but they are expected to return to average levels on Tuesday, the Met Office said.

Temperatures are unlikely to exceed the 40.3C recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19 2022, the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, according to forecasters.

The hottest day of 2024 so far was Friday July 19, where temperatures reached a sweltering 31.9C in central London.

Thunderstorms are expected in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England on Sunday night and early Monday morning, leading to torrential downpours in some areas.

Hour by hour forecast for Watford today (Met Office):

  • 10am - 25C
  • 11am – 28C
  • 12pm – 29C
  • 1pm – 30C
  • 2pm – 30C
  • 3pm – 31C
  • 4pm – 31C
  • 5pm – 31C
  • 6pm – 29C
  • 7pm – 27C
  • 8pm – 25C
  • 9pm – 23C
  • 10pm – 21C
  • 11pm – 19C