4 years ago
267 
Image copyright
PA Media
Image caption
Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire saw flooding earlier this week
Thunderstorms are moving across parts of the UK, after some areas saw the longest stretch of high temperatures since the 1960s.
Yellow storm warnings apply to much of England, Wales, parts of Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland following highs of more than 30C.
There is a small chance of flooding, travel disruption and power cuts in those regions, the Met Office said.
It comes after torrential rain and lightning lashed parts of Scotland.
The yellow warning applies to Wales and the majority of England until Monday night next week, and forecasters have warned of potential damage to buildings from lightning strikes or strong winds.
As of 15:00 BST, the Met Office said thunderstorms had broken out across the southern counties of England between Devon and Kent, with frequent lightning, heavy downpours, large hail and gusty winds possible in the coming hours.
Earlier, it reported thunderstorms had moved across the southern Midlands, East Anglia and north-west London.
BBC Weather has predicted highs of 29C in the south-east of England on Thursday, with cooler temperatures expected in Scotland and the north-east of England.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Skies across the UK were lit up by lightning as thunderstorms hit on Wednesday evening, following a week of hot weather.
Lightning struck a house in Wrexham, blowing out power sockets and setting fire to a curtain.
Fire crews were also called to deal with flooding incidents around Wrexham, as well as other parts of Wales including Denbighshire and Powys.
Several other places have recorded heavy downpours over the past 24 hours, such as Gnosall, West Midlands, which recorded 103.8mm of rain - over a month's worth - in one night, according to BBC Weather.
Image copyright PA Media Image caption The Victoria Hospital car park, in Kirkcaldy, Fife, floodedThe Met Office has warned the high temperatures triggering the thunderstorms could cause flooding.
"If rain is falling on places that have been quite hot and dry, and the ground is quite hard, the rain doesn't have anywhere to go, and from that we can see flash flooding," Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said.
"It's still going to be warm and humid and that could then trigger some thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales through the afternoon and evening [on Thursday]," he added.
"Generally, the rest of the week remains unsettled with showers, some of them thundery and heavy, but there will still be some warm, sunny spells at times too."
"It's not often we get temperatures this high over several days, and that is triggering thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales."
Media playback is unsupported on your device
On Wednesday, three people died after a passenger train derailed near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. It is thought the train hit a landslide after heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Scotland's Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said extreme weather "had an impact" on the accident.
A major incident was also declared in Fife. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it received more than 1,000 emergency calls on Tuesday night due to the severe weather.
The Environment Agency said 10 properties in Lancashire were also affected by flooding following storms.
It has issued flood alerts for certain areas in England and Scotland, which are separate from the weather warnings issued by the Met Office.
The warnings and alerts follow scorching temperatures in the UK.
The Met Office said on Wednesday temperatures surpassed 34C in central London for the sixth day in a row - the first time that has happened since at least 1961.
St James's Park in the city saw a high of 34.6C.
Image copyright PA Media Image caption Paddleboarders took to the water off the Isle of Dogs in east London on WednesdayMeanwhile, Devon and Cornwall Police warned the south west of England is "full to capacity", leading to "unprecedented demand" for 999 services.
The force said it saw an increase in anti-social behaviour and public order offences on Saturday and Sunday.
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Colwell said the weekend's events, spurred on by the hot weather, had forced officers to attend a "plethora of different incidents".
And in Sussex, more homeowners had water supplies cut off or restricted on Wednesday. At least 300 householders had already been without tap water since Friday.
Steve Andrews, head of central operations for South East Water, said more than 150 million litres of extra water were being pumped into the network as the UK heatwave continues.
