Weather warnings are now in place for the UK over the next few days, with some places on flood alert. The heatwave came to an abrupt end last night as heavy downpours and lightning storms battered parts of the country.
Following a welcome stretch of soaring temperatures and clear blue skies, a sudden barrage of thunder and heavy rain is on the way. Nearly all of England has a yellow weather warning in place, lasting the next three days. Meanwhile, some areas even expected to flood.
Heavy rainfall, hail, strong winds and lightning strikes could all cause a number of issues. The Met Office warns a risk of power outages cutting off communities, floods to homes and businesses, delays to public transport, poor driving conditions, and road closures.
The UK saw one of the hottest days of the year on Wednesday as temperatures reached 29.7C. However the sunny skies soon shifted to grey in the evening as the rain began. Temperatures are expected to remain cooler going into next week, with rainfall continuing.
Dramatic lightning
Storms started building across the English Channel on Wednesday afternoon, reaching the southern coast at about 7pm. Southern England experienced dramatic lightning strikes overnight, with bolts seen charging from the heavy clouds.
The thunderstorms were caused by a low pressure moving in from Europe, resulting in colder upper air meeting warmer air on the surface.
Up to 30mm of rain is expected to fall in a short amount of time on Thursday night. Southern England are expected to still see temperatures of around 18C during the night though, causing muggy, humid and hot conditions. This means many will find it difficult to sleep.
Thunderstorms are likely to continue in England and parts of Wales until the weekend. But northern areas of Wales, most of Scotland and Northern Ireland can expect to escape the wet weather. There are no yellow weather warnings in these places.
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