Brits person been woken up to large bangs and agleam achromatic lights extracurricular their windows this morning, arsenic storms dispersed crossed areas of England and Wales.
Two yellowish upwind warnings for dense rainfall were issued past nighttime and volition stay successful spot until 8am contiguous successful the south-West and 10am successful the south-east of England.
Commuters person been warned of question chaos this morning, owed to spray and abrupt flooding, portion trains and buses whitethorn beryllium delayed oregon cancelled.
The Met Office said the downpours could flood homes, portion determination could besides beryllium powerfulness cuts and harm to buildings from beardown winds.
It comes up of what could beryllium the warmest time of the twelvemonth truthful far, arsenic the Met Office has predicted some places could spot their warmest temperatures of the twelvemonth connected Thursday.
Temperatures are gathering this week with 22C (72F) highs expected for the South of England today, but experts foretell a 'very mixed picture' for this Bank Holiday weekend.
A thunder and lightning tempest passed implicit Portsmouth successful Hampshire successful the aboriginal hours of Thursday morning
Drone footage captures lightning successful the entity implicit Worthing aboriginal this morning
A lilac entity successful Worthing this greeting arsenic thunderstorms expanse crossed confederate parts of the country
A lightning tempest passes Newhaven successful East Sussex successful the aboriginal hours of Thursday
The lighting illuminated Portsmouth Harbour astatine 1.30am this morning
Lightning during a thunderstorm successful Bromley, southbound London this morning
Marco Petagna, a meteorologist astatine the Met Office, said 'After a nighttime of storms, the rainfall volition easiness successful the southbound of England for a portion tomorrow.
'We could spot the skies brightening up successful a fewer places and it volition beryllium different lukewarm day. Parts of the South East could adjacent get to 24 degrees and bushed today's temperatures.
'But arsenic the skies brighten and temperatures increase, this could spark a fewer much thundery showers successful the afternoon, truthful it is apt to inactive beryllium a spot unsettled and the forecast volition beryllium changeable implicit the adjacent fewer days.'
Looking further ahead, forecasters said this slope vacation play volition beryllium 'remaining changeable with further spells of rainfall oregon showers' with rainfall spreading from the West.
The Met Office said connected societal media: 'With higher temperatures this week determination is simply a hazard we could spot immoderate progressive thunderstorms successful the southbound connected Wednesday night.
'Lightning with the hazard of hail moving north-westwards crossed confederate England into Wales during the aboriginal hours connected Thursday morning.'
Away from England and Wales, forecasters expect contiguous volition beryllium adust with mist and debased unreality becoming rather wide successful the North and East.
But further rainfall volition deed the South and South West today, with the hazard of thunder again aboriginal connected – though it volition beryllium different mostly adust with debased unreality gradually clearing.
Temperatures volition beryllium lukewarm for galore with 22C (72F) possible, though it volition beryllium chill on North Sea coasts.
The Met Office outlook for Friday to Sunday is that it volition beryllium 'remaining changeable with further spells of rainfall oregon showers, peculiarly successful the south'.
The upwind work added: 'In immoderate drier and brighter interludes it volition consciousness lukewarm distant from the eastbound coast.'
In a agelong scope upwind forecast from this Sunday until May 14, the Met Office said determination would beryllium an 'uncertain play done the slope vacation play with the astir apt effect a lukewarm but cloudy time Sunday with a fewer airy showers'.
With higher temperatures this week determination is simply a hazard we could spot immoderate progressive thunderstorms successful the southbound connected Wednesday night
Lightning with the hazard of hail moving northwestwards crossed confederate England into Wales during the aboriginal hours connected Thursday greeting ⚡ pic.twitter.com/FJf5HNA0Qq
A operator makes their mode on a misty state roadworthy astatine Dunsden successful Oxfordshire
Cyclists riding connected Wimbledon Common successful South West London successful dense greeting fog
One Met Office thunderstorm informing has been issued for South West England and Wales until 8am today. A abstracted akin informing was successful spot for South East England from 11pm Wednesday until 6am today. Both are pictured above
Rainfall totals for the week up to Friday amusement however occidental areas volition look the wettest weather
Conditions volition past beryllium 'increasingly cloudy with rainfall spreading from the west, though weakening arsenic it does so, nevertheless determination remains a wide dispersed of solutions with the menace of showery spells a communal feature'.
All areas adjacent week are expected to spot 'a substance of showery periods oregon spells of rain, though mostly drier conditions expected to make done the pursuing week distant from the northeast arsenic precocious unit develops to the west'.
The sunniest conditions are expected crossed the South, portion it volition beryllium cloudiest successful the North and East – with temperatures 'mostly a small supra mean for aboriginal May'.
While the menace of imminent flooding has reduced successful caller days pursuing dense downpours implicit the weekend, the Environment Agency inactive has 54 alerts successful spot crossed England for 'possible' flooding.
Most of these are successful counties straight to the westbound and northbound of London.
Last month, the maximum somesthesia recorded was 21.8C (71.2F) successful Writtle, Essex, connected April 13. This was besides the warmest time of the twelvemonth truthful far.
Motorists driving done the foggy upwind successful Wimbledon , South West London
A misty commencement to the time successful the Oxfordshire countryside astatine Dunsden
Motorists driving done the foggy upwind successful Wimbledon , South West London
A misty commencement to the time successful the Oxfordshire countryside astatine Dunsden connected Wednesday
People walking connected Wimbledon Common successful South West London successful the dense greeting fog connected Wednesday
A misty commencement to the time successful the Oxfordshire countryside astatine Dunsden connected Wednesday
Fog obscures portion of Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast connected the River Thames successful London connected Wednesday
People walking connected Wimbledon Common successful South West London successful the dense greeting fog yesterday
The lowest recorded successful April was -6.3C (20.7F) successful Shap, Cumbria, connected April 26.
Grey skies and bedewed upwind means April whitethorn person felt unusually acold contempt temperatures being higher than mean for the clip of year, the Met Office said.
The highest UK somesthesia connected Tuesday was 20.2C (68.4F) successful Hull, East Yorkshire.
Bookmaker Ladbrokes said yesterday that it was offering 4/1 connected this period going down arsenic the wettest May connected record.
A spokesperson for the steadfast said: 'Things person taken yet different crook for the worse connected the upwind beforehand and we're not yet ruling retired a record-breaking bedewed May arsenic a result.'
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