The Meteorological Service has urged people to stay indoors where possible, as the south of England has been hit by a “huge pile” of thunderstorms.
As temperatures fell from Friday’s highest of 32C, the forecaster issued a lightning warning that he had used only a “handful” of times before.
Weather forecasters warned of “frequent lightning and some difficult driving conditions” on Saturday night, especially in parts of Sussex, Kent, Essex and Suffolk.
Meteorologist Becky Mitchell said a cold front from the north was responsible for the sudden change in temperature.
“I had a feeling it was just entering summer, but it’s cooler now,” she said.
“In many places in the United Kingdom, there is a drop in temperature of around 10 to 15 degrees in some places, which is huge.
“We have a huge bunch of thunderstorms in the south-west of England, there is potential to see some in the south-east later tonight.”
The Meteorological Service has issued a lightning warning only three times before, most recently in 2019.
“If you do any outdoor activities, move inside if you can – that’s really the best advice,” Ms. Mitchell said.
“Stay away from power lines or anything like that that could potentially be struck by lightning.
“If you find yourself in an open place, stay close to the ground, away from anything that can conduct lightning.
Although the weather observed on Friday is unlikely in the near future, it looks like it will improve in time for the Glastonbury festival next week.
Temperatures could reach around 26 ° C on Thursday before cooling off, as the event ended over the weekend.
Sunbathing in Bournemouth on Friday
(PA conductor)
“It looks like the beginning of Glastonbury, especially on Wednesday or Thursday, will probably be dry, hot and sunny,” Ms. Mitchell said.
“For anyone who sets up your tent, the weather will probably be quite good.
“Looking forward to the weekend from Friday onwards, it looks like we could see more rain, probably some sunny periods and rain.”
While the highest temperature was 32.7 ° C on Friday, the highest on Saturday was 27 ° C in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and there was rain in many places, with the weather service issuing a yellow warning for south-west England as lightning and the torrential rain was approaching.
Add Comment