Loud thunder bellowed across London on Thursday evening as a storm finally hit the capital, with a yellow weather warning remaining in place until midnight.
The rain comes after the hottest day of the year was recorded on Tuesday, with a high of 32C in Heathrow, west London, and after days of warm sunshine.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms covering the majority of England and Wales until midnight on Thursday, with temperatures still continuing to 30C in some parts of London.
The Met Office has warned the conditions could lead to road closures, cancellations to train and bus services, and power cuts.
Flooding of homes and businesses could also happen quickly, the forecaster warned, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk said the warning covers “quite a big area” from parts of eastern Wales and the Midlands and down towards the South East.
“This could lead to disruption, and some spray on the roads,” she said.
She said there could also be “torrential downpours” as well as “gusty winds, frequent lightning, and hail”.
She added that parts of the warning zone could see up to 50mm of rain in an hour or two.
Heading into Friday, she said there was still a chance of thunderstorms in the east of England, with temperatures of up to 30C.
“It is probably going to be feeling quite humid tomorrow in the East,” she said.
In London a high of 29C is forecast for Friday before it dips to 24C over the weekend.
While on Saturday, outbreaks of rain are expected in the south of England, with the highest temperatures around 25C-26C.
