UK weather: ‘Apocalyptic’ lightning and hail as sudden storm hits
Any lingering heavy, possibly thundery, showers should ease during the evening
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.London has been inundated with reports of freak “apolcalyptic” downpours, hail, thunder and lightening today as heavy showers battered central and southern England.
Forecasters this morning warned Britons that, despite a dry start to Tuesday in northern areas, showers would soon ramp up across the whole of the UK.
The storm descended on the capital just before 1pm today.
Social media was flooded with videos and images of the sudden change in weather. One Independent journalist weighed in on the action, reporting scenes of “booming thunder, hail, torrential rain” illumated by sudden flashes of lightening.
According to the latest radar sequence from the Met Office, showers have broken out widely across the UK. The heaviest showers as of this afternoon fell in central and southern England.
In London, forecasters have said that any lingering heavy, possibly thundery, showers should ease during the evening, leaving a dry night with largely clear skies.
More broadly, the heavy showers in the east should fade over the course of Tuesday afternoon and evening, bringing, clear spells to central and eastern parts of England.
Come Wednesday, cloud and rain will first hit areas further west before moving eastwards and breaking up into showers. Met officials are expecting some eastern areas to remain dry.
By the middle of this week, forecasters have urged Brits to expect a spell of changeable and unseasonably windy weather with showers, longer spells of rain, and a risk of coastal gales in the north.
Strong winds are also expected to bring some particularly challenging conditions across the Scottish mountain regions.
The unseasonably wet weather comes just a week after the UK recorded its hottest day of 2022 to date as temperatures reached 27.5C at Heathrow.
In its monthly update in March, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a US federal agency, also reported that in January and February, the global surface temperature was the sixth highest on record.
They said this means that it is virtually certain (above 99 per cent) that 2022 will rank in the top-10 hottest years.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments