UK weather: Met Office warns thunderstorms 'could cause danger to life' as heatwave causes travel chaos - as it happened
Record temperatures, lightning, flash flooding and large hailstones were all predicted
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Met Office warned heavy thunderstorms could cause danger to life as well as sudden flooding and powercuts.
It issued an amber alert for parts of England – a step up from yellow – with intense storms looking set to bring the British heatwave to an end.
Torrential downpours are possible, with as much as 30mm of rainfall in one hour and 60mm in three hours, while large hail, frequent lightning and strong, gusty winds will be additional hazards, forecasters warned.
Those in the areas covered by the warnings were told to expect flooding of homes and businesses, which could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater.
“Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life,” the Met Office said of the areas covered by the amber warning.
Delays or cancellations on transport, difficult driving conditions and power cuts are also possibilities.
Thursday saw the highest temperature recorded in the UK since 2015, with Faversham in Kent hitting 35.3C.
Temperatures were predicted to soar even further on Friday but the Met Office said provisional figures indicated the highest was 34.7C at Tibenham Airfield in Norfolk.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
A mix of toxic air, extreme highs, emissions from the continent and a lack of cloud cover caused a “high” air pollution alert to be issued for London on Thursday.
Meanwhile authorities said the heatwave was causing “winter conditions” in parts of the NHS, while nursing unions warned that many of their members were dizzy and exhausted.
Fire brigades also called for a ban on barbecues in parks and drivers were urged not to throw rubbish following a string of grassland fires in recent weeks.
And passengers on the Eurotunnel endured five-hour delays as air conditioned units failed while commuters on London’s Underground travelled in temperatures above the legal limit for transporting livestock.
As northern Europe swelters in a prolonged heatwave, scientists have warned climate change is making such heat extremes more likely.
Additional reporting by agencies
Norfolk Fire Service has warned motorists not to drive into flood water as it responds to a large number of calls for assistance.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
2Comments