Image copyright John E. Walsh / Twitter @akazeeox Image caption This electric blue sky was pictured over Milton Road in Cambridge

The skies above the UK were lit up by about 48,000 lightning strikes on Tuesday night.

The thunderstorms came ahead of further warm weather with temperatures in London expected to reach 38C on Thursday.

Image copyright Paul Middelton Image caption Multiple lightning bolts over Warwick

Image copyright Kutub Uddin Image caption Lightning photographed over the English Channel

Image copyright Nicole Carr Image caption Lightning was seen over Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Image caption A lightning bolt damaged Megan Zahra's bedroom roof

Image copyright Geraint Roberts Image caption The storm passed over the Solent in southern England

Image copyright Tim Fisher Image caption Tim Fisher caught this thunderstorm in the Lake District

Image copyright Sonia Bashir Image caption Skies in Preston, Lancashire, are seeing purple

Image copyright PA Media Image caption Lightning passes over houses in Lee Park, Liverpool

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