Thunder on the way this weekend but warm, dry days will return to Northern Ireland

The warning comes into force on Sunday at 12noon and runs until 9pm on Sunday evening covering most of Northern Ireland with only parts of Fermangh and southern parts of Counties Down and Armagh escaping.

Showers may continue into Monday but by Tuesday it will be back to the dry and bright weather we’ve become accustomed to.

The Met Office said: “Whilst many places will be largely dry, thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail are likely to develop in some places on Sunday afternoon.”

Before the thunder the UK looks set to soar as high as 30C this weekend.

Parts of the country are predicted to be hotter than Marbella, Ibiza and Tenerife in the coming days as a “plume of warm air” moves in from the south, triggering thundery showers.

Some areas could be battered by more than 60mm of rainfall in just a few hours on Sunday, with a yellow warning in place for much of the western side of the UK between noon and 9pm.

Forecasters have warned of the potential for sudden flooding on roads and of homes and businesses.

Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said: “What we see later in the forecast and today is the start of a bit of a change in tide through the weekend, which will see temperatures increase, but also increase the chances of some impactful, thundery showers for some.

“As we move into Sunday, that risk really persists in terms of thundery downpours being possible.

“A second yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued from midday on Sunday through to 9pm on Sunday.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber alert for hot weather in the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East and South West.

It means the impact of the heat is “likely to be felt across the whole health service … and the wider population, not just the most vulnerable”.