Emergency Weather Alert Issued for England and Wales After Lightning Strikes and Heavy Rainfall Hit the UK
Overnight, a care home in West Sussex was hit by a lightning strike and a university building in Chichester sustained damage to its roof and power system.
The Met Office has released a new weather warning for thunderstorms covering large parts of England and Wales after a night of heavy rainfall and lightning strikes affected other areas of the country.
After thunderstorms pounded southeast England overnight, there were transport delays this morning and damage to a care facility in West Sussex. The Met Office has issued a warning that is valid until 10am.
In southwest England and Wales
In southwest England and Wales, a similar storm warning was in place until 8am Thursday morning.
But the Met Office has now issued a third yellow weather warning for storms, covering parts of the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Wales, which will remain in force until midnight.
Two of the hottest days of 2024 thus far could be wedged between the rainy weather and traffic gridlock.
West Sussex Fire & Rescue reports that lightning strikes damaged two buildings in Sussex during the course of the night.
A university building in Chichester suffered damage to its roof and electricity system, and a care facility in Elmer, West Sussex, had damage to its roof due to a strike.
During the damage inspection, it was determined that no one had been injured and the occupants had been safely relocated.
There were travel delays on South Western Railway trains after the stormy weather.A landslip caused delays between Axminster and Honiton. These delays lasted until 11am on Thursday. The disruption affected trains running into London Waterloo. Trains from Exeter St David’s were among those impacted.
The Met Office issued a warning that overnight storms would disrupt Thursday’s morning rush hour.Some difficult driving situations and road interruptions were in store.
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Temperatures could reach 24 °C as weather changes
Marco Petagna, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said that some places could see the warmest weather of the year on Thursday, with temperatures reaching as high as 24 °C.
This comes after Wednesday saw temperatures peak at their highest of the year so far as well, at 22.1C.
“After a night of storms, the rain will ease in the south of England for a while,” Mr Petagna said.
“We could see the skies brightening up in a few places and it will be another warm day.
“Parts of the southeast could even get to 24 °C and beat Wednesday’s temperatures.
As the skies brighten and temperatures increase, there is a likelihood of a few more thundery showers in the afternoon. Therefore, the weather will remain unsettled, and the forecast will be changeable over the next few days.
Mr. Petagna announced that the bank holiday weekend would feature a “varied weather scenario,” based on the current forecast.
Most of the UK is likely to experience rain. Temperatures will remain fairly warm, in the mid- to late teens. On this past Wednesday, Santon Downham in Suffolk experienced the warmest temperature of the year so far. The peak temperature reached 22.1C.
Meanwhile, in the northwest Highlands, Aultbea recorded a temperature of 21.9C on the same day.
The coastal parts of the UK, excluding the named ones, experienced temperatures that were less than anticipated, reaching a maximum of 9.9C.