THE HEATWAVE could bring thunderstorms with it early next week, the Met Office has warned.

A yellow weather warning has been issued for Dorset and the rest of the country from midnight on Sunday until just before midnight on Tuesday.

The Met Office says areas of thunderstorms are “are increasingly likely to develop over the south of the UK or nearby continent late in the weekend or early next week.”

It warns that the “most intense” thunderstorms could be accompanied by “large hail” triggered by the high temperatures.

Other parts of the country could see “heavy rainfall and frequent lightning” and the storms could occur at any time of the day.

The Met Office said: “Some places are likely to see severe thunderstorms early next week - but there is significant uncertainty in location and timing.”

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Where the storms occur, rainfall totals of 30-40 mm could fall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving 60-80 mm in 3 hours, although these will be fairly isolated.”

Over the weekend, temperatures are set to reach the low 30s in Dorset.

Bournemouth-based weather enthusiast Bournemouth and Poole Weather said temperatures had already reached 30C today.

He said temperatures will remain “very mild” overnight with temperatures dropping back to 16 to 20C.

The forecaster said temperatures on Saturday and Sunday were likely to be between 30 and 34C with a “small risk” of a thunderstorm on Sunday.