Kent is enjoying another scorcher after the hottest day of the year - while narrowly avoiding storms sweeping the country.

Tens of thousands of beachgoers are expected to head to the county’s coastline, where temperatures will be significantly cooler than inland.

It comes after the county basked in highs reaching 30C yesterday, as Pride festival celebrations played out across Canterbury and motorists sweltered in gridlock on the M2 for hours, following a horror-crash.

Thunderstorms and 30C heat are forecast for much of the UK today, after some patches of England and Scotland saw flooding and the hottest temperatures of the year yesterday.

But Kent is expected to narrowly miss inclement weather currently sweeping from the east according to the Met Office, which has today issued a yellow rain and storm warning for much of the country.

The mercury in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury will likely hit 29C today, with Folkestone, Ramsgate and Margate set to be around 21C.

The recent uptick in temperature - owed to a plume of warm air being drawn in from the south - prompted the Met Office to issue its first heat alert of the year last week.

Traffic in Kent today is expected to be heavy in many parts, with the M2 now clear following a crash yesterday morning.

A man who suffered serious injuries was airlifted to a London hospital for treatment, while the coastbound Junction 3 for Bluebell Hill and Junction 5 for Sittingbourne and Maidstone was closed, but later reopened at about 7pm.

The accident unfolded as congestion worsened towards the coast and Canterbury - where some 25,000 people were expected for its Pride Festival.

Police said in a statement the motorcyclist was taken to a specialist London hospital in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, the Met Office said the county will experience “very warm or hot” weather through to at least Thursday.

Today’s forecast is “Dry for many with sunny spells. However, there is a risk of heavy showers or thunderstorms, these always most likely across western areas.

“Perhaps some coastal low cloud later. Feeling very warm or locally hot. Maximum temperature 30 °C,” according to meteorologists.

As the week develops it will stay “mainly dry through this period with generally large amounts of sunshine.

The county’s coastal towns are currently preparing for an influx of visitors after 11 beaches won Blue Flag Awards - an internationally recognised stamp of approval for cleanliness.

Yet people are being urged not to swim in the sea at St Mary’s Bay in Romney Marsh because of poor water quality.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency (EA) told KentOnline recently: “We continue to work with our partners to fully investigate the reasons for the decline in bathing water quality at St Mary’s Bay.

“Our advice against bathing is advisory and public access to the beach and the bathing water remains open.”