The UK is enjoying “summer’s last hurrah” before heavy rainfall is expected to drench the country over the weekend, the Met Office has said.

On Wednesday, temperatures hit 25.5C in Inverness, which is 14C above average for this time of year, according to the forecaster.

Warm and bright conditions are expected to continue into Thursday after a cloudy morning – with highs of 26C in London, the weather service added.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We are being spoiled by almost summer’s last hurrah, but there’s a bit of a change coming down the line as we move our way through towards Friday, and especially the weekend.”

Currently, the UK is experiencing a period of high pressure which will move north and east throughout the week, allowing “thundery showers” to develop in southern England from Friday, Mr Stroud added.

A “gentle decline” in temperature is expected over the weekend, with highs of 24C forecast for East Anglia on Saturday followed by low 20s in the area on Sunday, he said.

Heavy downpours are expected across much of central and southern England and parts of Wales over the weekend, with the Met Office advising that weather warnings may be issued over the coming days.

So far this month, the UK has seen an average 49.5mm of rainfall – which is typical for this time of year, Mr Stroud said.

“Successive bands of rain” and “normal conditions for autumn” are expected next week, he added.