PICTURES taken of Brighton and Hove seafront today and yesterday look as if there could be a six-month gap between them.

Crowds of people packed the pebbles to make the most of the sun yesterday.

Thousands flocked to the city and set up shop on the beach as the mercury soared over 30C.

The Argus:

The Met Office issued a level three heat health warning, urging people to take "heatwave action" to avoid problems in the scorching conditions, with particular concerns raised for "older people, young children and babies".

Yesterday, a spokesman for the weather service said: "Temperatures exceeding 30C were observed quite widely across the UK on Wednesday, with 32.6C observed in London.

"Similar temperatures, perhaps a degree or two higher, were expected quite widely today, with only the far north remaining less hot.

The Argus:

"Thundery showers will then develop over parts of the south west overnight from Thursday into Friday, spreading north across western and northern parts of the UK during Friday morning, before clearing."

As Brighton continued to bask in the sweltering heat, the weather service also issued a thunderstorm warning which started at 4pm yesterday and ended at 9am this morning.

This stretched across Sussex and the rest of the south coast of England, as well as covering Wales, Northern Ireland and the west coast of Scotland.

The Argus:

And the Met Office was spot on.

Thunder could be heard in the skies of Sussex in the early hours of today.

Photographers snapped away as forks of lightning flashed across the horizon above Brighton, Hastings, Worthing and more.

The Argus:

And, though the rain stopped in Brighton by 7am, the clouds remained throughout the day - bringing with them far more mild temperatures.

But today the beach looked a different place as thermometers stayed in the more manageable range of 16C to 20C.

The temperature shift put off most beach-goers, though a few were pictured wrapping up in towels to keep warm.

The Argus:

Seafront businesses were seen bringing in empty deckchairs, which had been in high demand the day before.

These mild conditions are forecast to stay over the weekend, with a temperature range of 14C to 17C across both Saturday and Sunday.

The Argus:

The rain is also expected to make a return tomorrow morning some time between 5am and 2pm.

The Met Office said the highest chance of rain will be between 6am and 8am (70 per cent). Heavy rain is most likely between 9am and noon.