UK
UK weather: Trains delayed and care home hit by lightning after overnight thunderstorms
A night of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms has caused travel delays and damaged a care home in West Sussex.
Thunderstorms hit southeast England overnight – with a Met Office warning in place until 10am.
In southwest England and Wales a similar storm warning was in place until 8am Thursday morning.
However, the wet weather may be sandwiched between two of the hottest days of 2024 so far.
The Met Office thunderstorm warnings. Pic: Met Office
Overnight, two buildings in Sussex were damaged by lightning strikes, according to West Sussex Fire & Rescue.
A care home in Elmer, West Sussex, was struck, causing damage to its roof, and a university building in Chichester sustained damage to its roof and power system.
The service confirmed that no one was injured and occupants were relocated while the damage was assessed.
Get the latest Sky News forecast for your area
Pic: @WestSussexFire
Lightning above Worthing
There were travel delays on South Western Railway trains after the stormy weather, causing delays between Axminster and Honiton expected to last until at least 11am on Thursday.
This has affected trains running into London Waterloo, from as far as Exeter St David’s.
The Met Office warned the storms overnight may trigger travel disruption leading into Thursday’s rush hour, causing “difficult driving conditions and some road closures”.
There is also a chance of possible cancellations to public transport, as well as power cuts.
Temperatures could reach 24C
Marco Petagna, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said that some places could see the warmest weather of the year on Thursday, with temperatures reaching as high as 24C.
This comes after Wednesday saw temperatures peak at their highest of the year so far as well, at 22.1C.
However, even as it becomes warmer, more thunderstorms could come on Thursday afternoon.
“After a night of storms, the rain will ease in the south of England for a while,” Mr Petagna said.
Read more from Sky News:
Olivia Rodrigo reacts after gigs cancelled at crisis-hit venue
Polls open for voters in England and Wales
Infected blood compensation ‘to be extended’
“We could see the skies brightening up in a few places and it will be another warm day.
“Parts of the southeast could even get to 24C and beat Wednesday’s temperatures.
“But as the skies brighten and temperatures increase, this could spark a few more thundery showers in the afternoon, so it is likely to still be a bit unsettled and the forecast will be changeable over the next few days.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Looking ahead to the Bank Holiday weekend, Mr Petagna said the forecast was a “very mixed picture”.
Most of the UK is likely to experience some rain, but temperatures will remain fairly warm in the mid to late teens.
Wednesday was the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures peaking at 22.1C in Santon Downham, in Suffolk, and reaching 21.9C in Aultbea, in the northwest Highlands.
However, other parts of the UK saw temperatures over 10C lower in some coastal areas – in Inverbervie, northeast Scotland, temperatures only peaked at 9.9C.