A spectacular lightning storm hit southern England overnight, illuminating the night sky for hours.
Many people were woken from their beds in the early hours of the morning, with the night sky flashing bright white as more than 3,000 lightning strikes recorded overnight.
Many people took to YouTube and Twitter to post videos and photographs of the storm, many of which we’ve compiled here:
just woke up and photographed this #thunderandlightning #canarywharf @BBCBreaking @thetimes @K8_Hazel @Ogilvy pic.twitter.com/DOMG6Lr4tJ
— justin stokes (@justinstokes_) July 18, 2014
#brighton #storm #lightning #sussex going to try get back to sleep now… pic.twitter.com/0Y9e3e9xgc
— Alex Lawrence (@The_Whitewall) July 18, 2014
Crazy lightning in London right now. pic.twitter.com/ljBXk9B8c6
— Hamit Bhagwandas (@hamitx) July 18, 2014
There's a little #storm going on at #fistral beach in #newquay right now… #lightning #pewpew #thunder #ouch pic.twitter.com/o9TIU7ew5c
— Lewis H Pinder (@unclepindy) July 17, 2014
Lovely bit of electrical activity over mounts bay tonight @CornwaII pic.twitter.com/dDj32JqQiN
— Neal Allen (@kernownelly) July 17, 2014
Lightning at @carnbrea @piratefm pic.twitter.com/xuHIe5A5oZ
— Adam s 1990 (@aaadurk) July 18, 2014
@piratefm Carn Brea View. (not upside-down) pic.twitter.com/RhKxsaTMbp
— Vinni (@ConnorSpark_21) July 18, 2014
@piratefm lightning at Penzance pic.twitter.com/YrWHDz5VMP
— David Stafford (@davestafford24) July 18, 2014
#thunderandlightning gathering at #godrevy on #cornwall's north coast,by jerry cartlidge #lightning #storm @piratefm pic.twitter.com/A7GgPfSxxo
— Dreams Of Cornwall (@dreams_cornwall) July 18, 2014
A quick pic of the #thunderandlightning over Epsom this morning. Should go to bed #storm pic.twitter.com/XqIntIJHaK
— Stuart Tree (@StuartTree) July 18, 2014
@DevonLife @BBCSpotlight #caradon #cornwall #lightening Cornwall takes the hit tonight. pic.twitter.com/UfqhBbg0xG
— Tommy Hatwell (@TommyHatwell) July 17, 2014
Here's another pic of the lightning storm overhead as it moves N.E toward Essex and East Anglia… pic.twitter.com/WSFDkDahBP
— MPS Helicopters (@MPSinthesky) July 18, 2014
Here's a snap from India-99 taken as the current storm approaches London #lightning pic.twitter.com/lx3sNMVkG9
— MPS Helicopters (@MPSinthesky) July 18, 2014
The storm and rain are expected to head north throughout Friday, with temperatures in the south expected to reach up to 32°C in the hottest day of the year.
