It might have been the hottest July day ever in many places on Wednesday, but the Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for this evening.

The south west could be in for heavy and severe thunderstorms, including torrential downpours, localised flooding, large hail and frequent lightning. 

The warning - which runs from 7pm Friday night to midday Saturday, reads: "On Friday evening another hot and increasingly humid airmass is expected to spread into the south from the Continent.

"Storms could be severe, with torrential downpours and large hail. 30 mm of rain is possible in less than an hour, with as much as 50 mm possible in 3 hours very locally. Large uncertainty remains regarding areas most at risk from storms, and many areas will miss these altogether, staying largely dry. However, where they do develop, disruption is possible."

Aside from any potential storms, it's now expected to be bright and sunny in Dorset today, with highs of 24C, then cloudy with sunny intervals on Saturday. 

Temperatures hit 36.7C (98F) at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday, the hottest since 2006 and the warmest ever for July, although the best Bournemouth could manage was 25C.