Temperatures across the county soared to 33 degrees Celsius today, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
The top temperature, equivalent to 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded in Santon Downham for Suffolk, while Monks Wood in Essex reached 33.8 degrees Celsius (92.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
Further afield, Heathrow reached 36.7 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit) which is the hottest temperature recorded in England since records began.
The temperatures caused havoc on rail routes, with Network Rail introducing speed restrictions across the network to help protect infrastructure in the hot weather.
An Abellio Greater Anglia spokesperson said yesterday afternoon: “Our teams have worked hard today to run services across the network. Extra staff were deployed at main stations during the evening peak to assist passengers and hand out bottled water.
“Some services were altered during the morning and early afternoon due to an issue with the overhead lines at Colchester.
“We would like to apologise to passengers who were affected by this and the other service alterations that were in place as a result of the high temperatures during the evening peak period.
“These are measures introduced by Network Rail to protect the infrastructure.”
Weatherquest forecaster Chris Bell said to expect cooler temperatures today (Thursday), with highs of 26 degrees Celsius.
“It’s a cooler day, but the highs are still above average for this time of year,” said Mr Bell. “The average is 19 to 20 degrees Celsius.”
He added there was likely to be showers at around midday.
On Friday, temperatures are set to get back up to the late twenties, with highs of 29 degrees Celsius by the afternoon.
However, the warmer weather brings with it a high chance of thunderstorms on Friday evening and overnight, with temperatures soaring back to the early 30s on Saturday, with highs of 32 degrees Celsius forecast for Suffolk.
Rail users are being urged to check their journeys before the travel as the hot weather continues at www.journeycheck.com/greateranglia/
Share your weather photos with us, email us today
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here