UK weather forecast: One swimmer confirmed dead and two more missing in London as Britain swelters in heatwave ahead of ‘40C hottest day on record’

One swimmer has died and two more are missing in London as a summer heatwave continues to grip Britain.

Forecasters say the UK could see the hottest day on record tomorrow, with predictions that the mercury could hit up to 40C.

It came as a body was found in the search for a 23-year-old man who went missing after swimming in Shadwell Basin, east London, yesterday. Police say his death is not being treated as suspicious.

Searches are continuing for the two other males currently missing in different parts of the Thames.

One went missing near Waterloo Bridge while another disappeared in the river near Kingston High Street.

Another swimmer was found dead yesterday at Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester.

The peak temperatures of this week's heatwave will hit London and the south east on Thursday, where temperatures are forecast to hit at least 39C.

The UK’s current all-time record high temperature stands at 38.5C, which was logged in Faversham in August 2003.

It follows days of warm weather, which included thunderstorms, near record-breaking temperatures and overnight highs of 24C.

Met Office meteorologist Sophie Yeomans told the Standard: “It’s likely we’ll see up to 39C around London, East Anglia, Suffolk, Essex and Kent.

“And there’s a chance we could even reach 40C.”

UK Heatwave: July 2019 - In pictures

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As the heatwave swept across the UK on Tuesday, thunder and lightning raged across the skies, as large swathes of the country struggled to sleep in warm night-time temperatures.

The storms caused chaos across the country, with a house near Wrexham, north Wales, reportedly catching fire after being struck by lightning.

Nobody was injured, the local fire service said. Power cuts also hit parts of Devon and Cornwall.

Ms Yeomans said the 24C heat, recorded in Langon Bay in Kent, technically trumped the previous night-time record of 23.9C, which was set in Brighton in 1990.

However, because the temperature later dropped down to 21.5C following the thunderstorm, it did not qualify as the hottest night on record.

Ms Yeomans said: “When the skies cleared following the thunderstorm, the temperature dropped, so we can’t call it the hottest night on record - even though it must have felt that way.”

UK Electrical Storm - In pictures

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The peak temperature on Tuesday was 33C, recorded in Northolt, west London.

That heat will continue today with temperatures in London and the south east are set to reach 35C or 36C, before tomorrow’s likely 39C scorcher.

Frank Saunders, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, added: “There is a real possibility of records being broken this week, not only for July but also all time.”

Conditions will cool on Friday, with rain and highs of 26C predicted. The weekend will see clouds and top temperatures of 23C in London.

It comes as French city of Bordeaux registered its own new “hottest day on record”, with the mercury hitting a staggering 41.2C on Tuesday.

The south-western city’s previous top temperature was set in 2003 at 40.7C.

Children cool off at the 'water mirror' on Bordeaux's Place de la Bourse
AFP/Getty Images

Forecasters expect the record-breaking run across Europe to continue into the second half of this week, in parts of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

A World Meteorological Organisation spokeswoman reportedly said the heatwaves bore "the hallmark of climate change".

Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders explained why the latest bout of hot air from Africa, known as the “Saharan plume” was sparking such intense conditions.

"The weather setup is broadly similar to the pattern that brought high temperatures to much of continental Europe at the end of June,” he said.

"The difference this time is that the wind flow will be more directly from France, paving the way for some exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures.”

UK heatwave June 2019 - in pictures

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Police have issued a warning about the dangers of open waters after a body was found during a search for a swimmer in a Gloucestershire lake on Tuesday.

One swimmer was confirmed dead in Shadwell, east London, while two others remain missing in different stretches of the River Thames.

In Kent, where the temperature soared to 32C, more than 100 firefighters worked to control a blaze at a military firing range.

Train company Southeastern said it would be running a "significantly reduced service" on Thursday due to speed restrictions announced by Network Rail.

A tiger at London Zoo cools off in the water (London Zoo )
London Zoo

Owen Landeg, from Public Health England, urged Britons to check on older people, young children and those with underlying health conditions who face "real health risks" from the heat.

Temperatures are expected to return closer to normal from Friday, with the weather becoming more unsettled with an increased chance of showers.

In contrast to Thursday's temperatures, highs on Friday could be 10C cooler with 27C likely in London, the Met Office said.

"Conditions will feel much more comfortable for western parts of the UK by the time we get to Friday," Mr Saunders reassured.

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