This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Parts of the UK have had almost a month’s rainfall in just a few hours as thunderstorms took hold following the long summer heatwave.



The Met Office upgraded a weather warning for Northern Ireland to amber, saying damage to buildings from flooding and lightning strikes was likely.

Belfast international airport recorded 80.6mm of rainfall between midday and 4pm on Saturday, nearing the July average for Northern Ireland of 81.2mm. Roads have flooded and transport has been affected, with some buses cancelled.

Meteorologist Sarah Kent said that, unlike thunderstorms in many other parts of the UK, those in Northern Ireland were as a result of low pressure, rather than directly related to the recent heatwave.

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Heavy, thundery showers continue in western areas and parts of Wales, the Met Office said, as changeable weather replaces the hot spell much of the UK has endured for weeks. “It’s a very unsettled weather picture across the whole of the UK,” Kent said.

Short Ferry in Lincolnshire had 41.8mm of rainfall in an hour on Friday, nearing the county’s monthly July average of 55.8mm. The searing temperatures which had reached the mid-30s in southern parts of the UK have dropped, in some places by up to 10C.

Saturday’s temperatures are expected to peak at 24C in central and southern England, 20C in Scotland, 19C in Wales and 18C in Northern Ireland.

Similarly cool weather is expected on Sunday, and a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is in place for Wales and southern England into the afternoon. Inland wind speeds of up to 40mph are expected.

Kent said: “The warning is in place particularly for holidaymakers who are out camping or towing their caravans, they are going to see some very strong gusts.”

Tony Wafer, the RNLI’s community safety manager, said: “If you are heading to the coast this weekend, please find out where your nearest lifeguarded beach is and ask the lifeguards for advice on conditions, especially if you are going in the water.

“RNLI lifeboats and lifeguards have had four times as many rescues of inflatables so far this summer than they did last year.”

While some welcomed the rain and cooler temperatures, those keen to catch a glimpse of the blood moon, the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century, on Friday were disappointed. The cloud cover meant the event was not visible to many.

Holidaymakers have been beset by delays and cancellations. A number of flights have been affected, and travellers suffered long wait for ferries and cross-Channel trains.

York racecourse tweeted on Friday that racing had been called off because of the thunder and lightning storms, and Tom Jones was forced to cancel a concert.

Before the hot weather broke, authorities had told the public to take care when swimming in rivers, lakes and the sea after police named the third person to have died in a week after going swimming as 15-year-old Ben Quartermaine.

The teenager went missing in Clacton, Essex, after getting into difficulties in the sea on Thursday. Thames Valley police recovered the body of a man from the Jubilee river in Slough on the same day, and emergency services found the body of a 17-year-old boy who disappeared after getting into difficulty in a quarry lake in Bishops Itchington, near Leamington Spa, on Friday.

Bedfordshire Police are also looking for a man who got into difficulties in the Great Ouse river on Friday afternoon.

The hot weather, which contributed to a high air pollution alert being issued for London, is set to return toward the end of next week. “We will see more settled conditions across southern areas by the weekend, with temperatures creeping back towards 30C in places,” Kent said.