London and southern England rocked by violent thunderstorms, hail and wind
Met Office rain trackers show how heavy the rain was across southern England this afternoon (Picture: Met Office)
Southern parts of the UK experienced significant storms bringing with them thunder, lightning, torrential downpours and large hailstones.
Met Office maps showed the extent of the storms as they swept across the capital throughout the afternoon.
One person at Heathrow Airport said it was the worst storm they had experienced in 25 years.
Their experience is matched by radars that showed rain falling at a rate of more than 32mm/hour in multiple areas including Heathrow, Gatwick, Southampton, Maidstone and Oxfordshire.
Live lightning trackers show that there were storms stretching from Weymouth in the south west to Canterbury in south east, and all across London.
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The storms are expected to spread eastward through the day.
With them they are bringing bands of significant heavy rain, leading to localised flooding in many parts.
The Met Office said temperatures this week are 15°C below what they were last week, adding that low pressure was responsible.
They posted on X: ‘This means often changeable weather ahead, with rain and showers, and it’ll turn unseasonably windy towards the end of the week too.’
A live lightning tracker shows where the most active storms are at the moment (Picture: lightningmaps.org)
The disruption comes on the first day of a 24-hour Tube strike, meaning more commuters are travelling on foot or by bike… and today facing a soaked journey home.
Only last week the UK experienced its hottest ever temperatures with a wall-to-wall sunshine across many parts.
The Met Office recorded six consecutive days above 30°C in some places, making Spring 2026 the warmest on record for England and Wales.
Spring rainfall was also 14% below the long-term average, meaning this week’s downpours will be more than welcome by gardeners.
Many people were caught out by the sudden downpours that were worse than expected (Picture: i-Images)
A lot of people having a late lunch got a drenching (Picture: i-Images)
Central London streets turned into rivers with the ferocity of the rainfall (Picture: i-Images)
Haven’t heard this kind of thunder in 25yrs. That definitely hit or landed somewhere. Office buildings shook. Car alarms sounding. Intruder alarms going off too. #London#heathrow
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