- Met Office issues fresh storm warning for England, Wales
- Lightning damages care facility and university structure in Sussex
- Travel disruptions expected amidst changing weather conditions
A lightning strike struck a care facility in West Sussex during the night, and a university structure in Chichester sustained roof and power system damage.
Following a night of intense lighting and precipitation that impacted other regions of England and Wales, the Met Office has issued a fresh weather advisory regarding thunderstorms that are expected to affect significant areas of the country.
This morning, travel was disrupted and a care facility in West Sussex sustained damage due to thunderstorms that struck southeast England overnight; the Met Office issued a warning that remained in effect until 10 a.m.
Thursday at 8 a.m., a comparable storm warning was in effect in southwest England and Wales.
However, the Met Office has now issued a third yellow weather warning until midnight for storms, which will continue to affect portions of the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Wales.
The travel pandemonium and wet weather may occur between two of the warmest days of 2024 thus far.
Two structures were damaged by lightning impacts overnight in Sussex, per West Sussex Fire & Rescue.
A residential facility located in Elmer, West Sussex, experienced roof damage as a result of the impact, while a university structure in Chichester suffered roof and electrical system damage.
As the extent of the damage was assessed, occupants were relocated while the service confirmed that no one was injured.
As a result of the severe weather, South Western Railway trains experienced travel disruptions; a landslip caused delays between Axminster and Honiton until Thursday at 11 a.m. This affected trains from Exeter St. David’s that arrived at London Waterloo.
Additionally, the Met Office had issued a warning that the storms that occurred overnight would cause “difficult driving conditions and some road closures” during Thursday’s morning rush hour.
24 degrees Celsius are possible as the weather transforms.
Meteorologist Marco Petagna of the Met Office predicted that certain locations could experience the warmest weather of the year on Thursday, with highs of 24 degrees Celsius.
This follows Wednesday, when temperatures reached their greatest point of the year thus far, 22.1 degrees Celsius.
Mr. Petagna predicted that the rain in the south of England would abate for a while following a night of storms.
“A few areas of the sky appeared to be becoming more illuminated, and it will be yet another warm day.”
“Some regions of the southeast may reach 24 degrees Celsius, surpassing the temperatures recorded on Wednesday.”
However, with the increase in temperatures and brightness of the heavens, this may give rise to a few more thundery showers in the afternoon. As a result, the weather over the next few days is likely to remain somewhat choppy and unpredictable.
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Regarding the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend, Mr. Petagna described the forecast as “extremely contradictory.”
Although precipitation is probable across the majority of the United Kingdom, temperatures will remain relatively mild in the mid to late teens.
Wednesday was the warmest day of the year thus far, with Santon Downham, Suffolk, recording the highest temperature at 22.1C and Aultbea, in the northwest Highlands, reaching 21.9C.
However, some coastal regions of the United Kingdom experienced cooler temperatures; in Inverbervie, northeast Scotland, the highest temperature recorded was 9.9 degrees Celsius.
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