Much of Britain sizzled in temperatures in the high 20s centigrade, eclipsing those of popular European holiday destinations.
And warm, sunny weather across is set to lead to the first summer smog, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has warned.
A high of 27C was recorded in Norwich making it the hottest day of the year so far. Other parts of South and Eastern England also enjoyed temperatures in the mid twenties.
In contrast, holidaymakers hoping to find Spanish sun in Barcelona would have been disappointed as temperatures there struggled to reach just 15C. Resorts in Portugal recorded temperatures of 18C, while it was 20C in Athens and 22C in the Canary Islands.
Brendan Jones, forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, said warm air coming from the Mediterranean had caused the good weather, but came at the expense of western areas of the UK, where the weather front is sitting.
Mr Jones added: "There are some really nasty storms across Scotland however. Strathallan, in Perth and Kinross, recorded 12.2mm of rain in one hour. Those sorts of volumes are capable of causing flooding."
Scotland was not the only place affected, with London, Manchester and Milton Keynes experiencing thunder storms. Wales bore the brunt of flash flooding overnight, with water being pumped from houses in Chepstow, Cardiff and Swansea.
High ozone levels were forecast for England and Wales this weekend. The high levels of ozone - formed when sunlight interacts with nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants - were set to persist until at least Monday, when Northern Ireland could also be affected.
Ground-level ozone can affect some people's breathing. People with asthma are not necessarily more susceptible but if they are affected they can use their "reliever" inhaler, Defra said.
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More warm weather is expected on Sunday, and then temperatures will gradually decrease until Thursday, when it will become unsettled.
