FORECASTERS were last night predicting that wet weather is on its way back, but first the region is expected to bask in continued hot summer sun.

Temperatures in some parts of the region could be as high as 26C (79F) today.

However, the glimpse of summer is not expected to last, with thundery rain expected to spread from the south from Monday reaching the North-East by the middle of next week.

The news will put many householders on the alert in flood-hit areas such as Scarborough and Filey, North Yorkshire, where flash floods wreaked havoc last weekend.

Freak thunderstorms and torrential rain at the start of the month also left homes without power and caused treacherous driving conditions in parts of Cleveland, Darlington, Swaledale, Wensleydale and the Vale of York.

Last night, Michael Dukes, of the PA Weather Centre, said that while there would be a break in the good weather, there was no risk of the prolonged rain recently experienced.

He said: "There is still a bit of uncertainty as to what will happen next week.

"There will be a short break in the warm sunny weather, but there is no indication of the really lengthy thundery downpours that we have had which led to flooding coming back."

Temperatures are warmer than normal for this time of year and are expected to reach 30C (86F) in London today.

Forecasters say weather patterns in which warm weather is suddenly interrupted by heavy rain and thunder are not unusual.

Before the interruption for rain, temperatures are expected to remain high in the region, averaging about 22C (72F).

A spokesman for the Environment Agency played down any risk of flooding.

She said: "We're not expecting anything severe. At the moment we have no flood watches or warnings in place.