Is it the last day of summer? Temperatures set to soar in the West Midlands but Met Office says they'll plummet to 12C within days

Temperatures are set to soar to 26C (79F) today as warm air crosses over the region.

But give it a few days and we are likely to be shivering as the gauge rises to only 12C (54F).

The West Midlands was today basking in a belt of warm and settled air that is seeing temperatures soar.

Our region is seeing the best of the weather – with the south expected to spend the day under a band of heavy rain.

While we bask on hot sunshine, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain covering the area which runs until midnight, following a similar alert on Thursday.

Heavy rain may lead to some travel disruption and flooding in places across southern England and southern Wales on Friday

It was likely further warnings will be issued across the weekend for the south, the forecasting body said.

Today's rain could take the total falling on parts of the affected area to between 50 and 100mm in 48 hours - Okehampton in Devon seeing 44.4mm on Thursday.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: "Depending on where you are in the UK, you'll experience radically different types of weather, with plenty of warm sunshine expected under brighter skies for the Midlands and much of the country.

"Temperatures could reach 27C in places with the potential for the warmest day of the year in parts of western Scotland.

"The outbreaks of rain that we've seen arrive through Thursday across the south and south west will essentially keep going during Friday and into the weekend.

"There will be ebbs and flows in the rainfall. There'll be pulses of heavier rain at times and then lighter rain at times."

The Environment Agency introduced six flood alerts, where flooding is considered possible, in England on Thursday including three in Devon and on the River Thames between Putney Bridge and Teddington Weir.

The agency said while surface water flooding is "possible and not expected" across the warning area on Friday, inland flooding remains possible until Monday.

No warnings have been issued by Natural Resources Wales.