
Britain has been struck with lightning and thunderstorms as the summer heatwave makes way for grey skies.

A late-night thunderstorm over the south coast saw odd-shaped mammatus clouds, which take their name from the Latin for 'breast', to form over Dorset and Hampshire before huge lightning bolts filled the skies.

The clouds, indicators of thunderstorms, are rarely seen in Britain. Unlike most clouds which form from rising air, mammatus clouds are created when air sinks.

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The late night thunderstorm over the south coast, which saw bolts of lightning across the coast of Bournemouth over Boscombe Pier

The thunderstorms with large bolts of lightning came after an area of high pressure hovered over the south coast of England

Mark Wilson, a forecaster at the Met Office, said the bizarre-looking mammatus clouds were a product of the extreme heat wave currently hitting most of Europe

The glorious summer weather much of the country has enjoyed over the last few weeks is set to give way as grey skies are expected to dominate for the start of the week

Earlier in the day odd-shaped mammatus clouds, which take their name from the Latin for 'breast', formed over Dorset and Hampshire

Unlike most clouds which form from rising air, mammatus clouds are created when air sinks and they are very rarely seen in Britain

The eerie skies were captured on camera by photographer Chris Nesbitt from Hampshire's Test Way and by Matt Pinner at Swanage, Dorset.

Fellow snapper Jamie Russell then used specially-made equipment to photograph the ensuing lightning storm as it swept past the Isle of Wight. The lightning was also snapped by Daryl Davies and Kevin Ferrioli in Bournemouth.

Mark Wilson, a forecaster at the Met Office, said the bizarre-looking mammatus clouds were a product of the extreme heat wave currently hitting most of Europe.

He said: 'At the moment much of Europe is experiencing a very prolonged heatwave with very high temperatures.

'Recently we've had an area of very warm, moist air pushing up from the continent over the southern counties of Britain.

'When you get a situation like this that is then met with low pressure from the west you get the potential for big thunderstorms.

'In this instance the storms take place in the mid part of the atmosphere which is why there was a lot of thunder and lightning but not much rain reaching the ground.

Brighton beach was almost empty today as rain meant sun worshippers stayed away from the south coastline this morning

A group of young people shelter from the rain under umbrellas in Brighton this morning after the heatwave made way for rain

A woman struggles with an umbrella near to Brighton beach. Rain is expected to return on Thursday, but there is hope that sunny weather will return for the weekend

A woman tries to cover her hair from the wind and rain in Brighton today as a growing area of high pressure hovers over the UK

'This causes mammatus clouds to form. They're a pretty spectacular sight and not an overly common one either.'

The wet weather is also likely to affect the men's singles final at Wimbledon today between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with downpours expected as they walk out on Centre Court.

But tennis fans at the All England Club may escape the rain as it is expected to clear up over SW19 as the afternoon goes on, although the rest of the UK will see more rain move in from the west into Sunday evening.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge added: 'Effectively we are looking at a grey, damp start across the South East, but easing by the time we get to lunchtime and we could see dry conditions with sunny spells, although there will be a risk of isolated showers.

Despite the rainy weather and having to wear rain coats, one family were determined to enjoy a day out at the seaside in Swanage in Dorset

As grey skies and windy weather loomed over Swanage, a woman and a young girl collect shells and pebbles on the beach in the wet weather

A man and a young boy seem determined to dig a hole on the beach in Swanage, Dorset, even though the weather has taken a turn for the worse

'It is looking like a good picture as we go into the afternoon, a little bit cooler at around 23 or 24 degrees if you are lucky enough to be out on Murray Mount.

EXPERTS WARN GARDENERS NOT TO PANIC OVER HOT DRY WEATHER Gardeners should not panic about the effect the hot, dry weather has been having on their lawn, experts have said. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said it had seen a sharp increase in the number of inquiries from gardeners about drought damage to plants in the warm weather, receiving more calls on the issue in the past 30 days than in the whole of last year. But a brown lawn should not be seen as a failure and there are advantages to letting it get that way in sunny weather, from the water saved to being able to lay out a picnic rug on a nice dry lawn instead of a wet one. RHS chief horticultural advisor Guy Barter said: "There are a host of benefits of having a brown lawn, from the water that is saved to the extra enjoyment of being able to put down a blanket on a hot summer day and lie back on a dry lawn, as opposed to a wet, green lawn.' Advertisement

'Through the course of the afternoon there is a risk of showers at between 10 and 20 per cent, but that is in comparison with the morning with an 80 to 90 per cent chance of patchy rain.

'It is definitely going to be damp as we move through the morning and get better in the afternoon, but there is a risk of trouble with showers.'

The Wimbledon final marks a hiatus for the glorious summer weather much of the country has enjoyed over the last few weeks, as grey skies are expected to dominate for the start of the week.

The north of England is expected to enjoy the best conditions from Monday, with sunshine returning for many on Wednesday.

Rain is expected to return on Thursday, but there is hope that sunny weather will return for the weekend.

Mr Partridge added: 'From Monday we can see outbreaks of patchy rain for large chunks of the UK south of Cumbria and the showery outbreaks will likely stretch into Tuesday.

'But the general picture is a growing area of high pressure over UK through next week through Wednesday and Thursday with temperatures one or two degrees above average.

'Into Thursday and Friday temperatures will generally be around normal for this time of year but feeling cooler in the north and west due wind that could bring rain with it.

'But it will become warmer into next weekend when we will have more high pressure developing from the south.'

But despite a short respite from the sweltering temperatures, forecasters are predicting that by the end of the month, it could reach a record-breaking 39C.

Earlier this month, the hottest July day since records began was recorded at London's Heathrow Airport, with the mercury reaching a whopping 36.7C.

Now hot air arriving from Africa from late July means some experts are predicting a smashing of the overall record temperature for the UK - 38.5C logged at Brogdale, Kent, on August 10, 2003.

Forecaster Brian Gaze of The Weather Outlook said: 'The year's hottest temperatures usually occur in late July or early August.

Revellers enjoying a night out in north west England get caught out by a heavy downpour last night as they make their way home

The heavy shower caught many of those enjoying a night out unaware as they seemed to forget to take an umbrella with them

Despite a short respite from the sweltering temperatures, forecasters are predicting that by the end of the month, it could reach a record-breaking 39C

Festival goers at T in the Park in Strathallan, Perthshire enjoyed better weather, even if they had to walk through muddy fields

Forecasters predict that the north of the country will have the best of the weather over the coming days. One girl soaks up the sun at T in the Park

'As pressure models favour more African hot air over Europe pulsing to the UK, the 38.5C record could go.'

Bookies Ladbrokes have cut the odds on the 38.5C record falling to 7/4.