[ad_1]
Severe thunderstorms overnight may give way to Britain’s warmest day of the year so far.
The same storm caused mudslides in the northern part of the country Francewhich began around midnight and killed at least one person, a 57-year-old woman, and injured her partner.
In the south England and Wales, overnight storms and heavy rain damaged buildings and caused travel delays.
The Met Office said this could be replaced later on Thursday with the hottest temperature of the year, replacing Wednesday’s high of 22.1C. In the southeast, afternoon temperatures will reach 24 degrees.
Two yellow weather warnings were issued for the UK by the Met Office as heavy rain fell over parts of the country on Wednesday night. Storms hit the southwest and Wales, with a warning until 8 a.m. Thursday. The warning in south-east England has been extended until 10am on Thursday.
A lightning strike to the power supply on the railway between Westbury and Castle Kerry early on Thursday led to the cancellation of some trains. The lines have since reopened, but National Rail has warned that trains may still be cancelled, delayed or diverted “until the service is restored”.
A care home in Elmer, Sussex, was struck by lightning which damaged the roof, while a university building in Chichester suffered damage to its roof and power system. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said no one was injured in the impacts and that the occupants had been moved to a safe location while the damage was assessed.
Marco Petagna, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said some places could see their warmest temperatures of the year on Thursday. “After a night of storms, the rain will ease in S England for a while… We can see skies brightening in a few places and it will be another warm day.” Parts of the southeast may even reach 24 degrees and beat today’s temperatures,” he told PA.
“But as the skies clear and temperatures rise, it could bring in a few more thunderstorms in the afternoon, so it’s still likely to be a bit unsettled and the forecast will be changeable over the next few days.”
The Met Office said the storms could cause travel disruption and some flooding, leading to “difficult driving conditions and some road closures”.
The north of England was expected to remain largely dry and warm, while southern parts of the UK were hit by heavy rain.
The holiday weekend is expected to be “a very mixed picture,” Petagna said. A little rain is likely in most areas, but temperatures will remain relatively high, in the mid to late teens. Rainfall is expected across the country on Bank Holiday Monday.
Wednesday was the warmest day of 2024 so far, with a peak of 22.1C at Santon Downham in Suffolk.
[ad_2]
