Temperatures have soared to 24 degrees today in Braintree on the hottest day of the year so far.
This tops the average temperature for mid-May by 6 degrees but experts warn the heatwave might give way to storms during the week.
Meteorologist at Essex Weather Centre Tom Defty said: “This is one of the top ten highest temperatures for May on record.
“We could see thunder storms on Wednesday and Thursday as the weather goes downhill quite rapidly.”
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