Parasols exchanged for brollies as thunderstorms sweep southern England by Sean Batty
Heatwave warnings gave way to heavy rain warnings across many parts of southern England on Wednesday (5th July).
Two days of temperatures reaching 31C (88F) in the southeast of England culminated in severe thunderstorms on Wednesday, bringing flooding and loss of power to many. The storm certainly cooled things for the southeast with temperatures yesterday ‘struggling’ to 23C (73F), some several degrees down on the previous days.
A cluster of thunderstorms that had formed over France on Tuesday night swept northwards to engage with the south of England during Wednesday morning, which released most of their energy across London and the southeast, before drifting north later in the day.
As hundreds of lightning strikes married the sky with the ground, spectacular displays were put on, while some were not so lucky. Several families lost their homes after lightning struck and raised six houses to the ground in Erith, southeast London after a rapid spread of fire.
The lightning danced across the skies of the south coast striking railway signal boxes on the Brighton to Littlehampton rail-line route during the rush hour, forcing up to 40,000 commuters to reach their destinations by bus.
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire were both badly affected by lightning after several power lines were hit, cutting power to thousands of homes across the two neighbouring counties.
The village of Albrighton, in Shropshire, was cut off after separate heavy thunderstorms closed several roads on Tuesday night, which were still impassable on Wednesday morning. The local Fire and Rescue team received 50 calls from worried villagers as the waters quickly rose during the torrential downpours.
The weather should quieten down more after today, with cooler air being introduced from the west over the next few days. However wet and windy weather can be expected at the weekend, especially in the north.
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