The current heatwave could come to an abrupt end in some areas of the UK as several downpours are expected to hit the country on Thursday (28 May).

A few showers and thunderstorms will possibly break out across England and Wales later in the day,” the Met Office said, while also adding that it will be “warmer again for many”.

Rain may also reach the UK during the weekend, as the Met Office said Friday to Sunday the weather will be “largely dry with sunny spells and very warm once again”.

“A band of rain then gradually spreading eastwards over the weekend, introducing some fresher and possibly showery conditions,” the forecaster also added.

The Met said cloud and a developing easterly flow of wind on Wednesday would lead to a “reduction in temperature highs for many areas” – although south-west England may still see 32C-33C.

These forecasts come after Tuesday was the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales, with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.1C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9C. The Met Office also confirmed the record for the highest daily minimum temperature in May has provisionally been broken for a third night in a row after the mercury did not drop below 21.4C in Camborne, Cornwall, overnight.

Train services across Britain were disrupted as temperatures soared, with Network Rail imposing a series of speed restrictions on tracks to keep trains safe on Tuesday.

The UK experienced a “tropical night” on Monday as the record for the warmest minimum temperature for May was broken for the second consecutive day. Temperatures did not fall below 20C overnight on Monday in parts of the UK, with 21.3C recorded at Kenley Airfield, south London.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the “exceedingly hot” temperatures were “exceptional”. Mr Burkill added: “It really is an exceptionally warm or very hot spell at the moment.

“For any time of the year it’s hot, but for May in particular – it is still meteorological spring. In terms of how ground-breaking, how historic it is – it’s very similar to that first time that we reached 40C. The fact that we’ve exceeded the May temperature by such an amount really is extraordinary and quite worrying.”