Thunderstorms batter 32C Britain as hail pelts down in the South East in extreme UK weather

BRITS face yet ANOTHER scorching day with temperatures to hit 30C once more – after thunderstorms swept across the country yesterday.

Recent high temperatures have made roads “melt like chocolate” with councils around the country carrying out emergency repairs to surfaces damaged in the heat.

Massive hailstones swept across parts of the country on Tuesday night but have failed to make a dent in the scorching summer heat.

The mercury will soar back up to 30C today – with the possibility of reaching highs of 33C by Friday.

The ice cream aisles in supermarkets across the country have been ransacked and left empty by Brits desperate to cool down in the heat.

But the glorious weather took a turn in the East of England as heavy rain and hail fell and flooded several roads in “apocalyptic” scenes – as scattered storms look set to return today.

The barmy weather sent hail the “size of golf balls” crashing down during a thunderstorm in Leciester – seeing car windows smashed and vehicles dented “minutes” after locals were basking in the sunshine.

The Met Office have now issued a yellow warning for rain from Saturday across much of England and Wales as the weather flips on its head over the weekend.

Today, the Met said southern and western England will be hit with another 30C scorcher, as things cool down a little in the East.

An amber extreme heat warning remains in place for central and southern England, Wales and Northern Ireland as bookies have slashed odds to just 10/11 on this month being the hottest July on record.

GIANT HAILSTONES
It comes after Britain baked on the hottest day of the year as temperatures soared to 32C on Monday – before thunderstorms battered the country, and even ruined cars.

The Met Office yesterday issued four weather warnings for storms as well as extreme heat alerts while temperatures rocketed to 32.2C at Heathrow Airport.

They have now issued a yellow rain warning for the weekend and said to expect heavy rain and thundery showers after a week of sunshine.

The warning is in place across the majority of England and Wales as residents were cautioned about the possibility of flooding and travel disruption.

In Kibworth, Leicester, large hailstones caused damage to outdoor furniture and even smashed the windscreens of cars as stormy weather hit the area.

Dad-of-two Kevin Messenger, 39, had his VW Polo windscreen smashed by the unbelievable hail and believes the cost of damage in the area will be “running into the hundreds if not thousands of pounds.”

He said, “The hails stones were huge, I’ve never seen anything like it. The only thing I can compare it to was monsoon season when I went to Thailand.

“The hail was that severe it smashed the back windscreen of my car, I know other people in the village who had their car windows smashed too.”

Care homes and sheltered housing were evacuated after the hail smashed glass and corridors flooded as a month’s worth of rain fell in 30 minutes.

Twitter users posted images and videos of ruined pipes and damaged cars, as well as hailstones the size of large marbles.

There were also reports of intense rain and hail in Essex and Kent, amid a flash storm in the area.

Giant hailstones were spotted in Essex on Monday afternoon as storms hit with residents reporting the hail as “the size of marbles.”

Read more
SCORCHIO! UK weather – Roads melt ‘like chocolate’ and train lines buckle in extreme heat as Brits face another 30C scorcher today
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15629263/hails-pelts-down-on-hottest-day-of-year-2/amp/

The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world

Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know

Read The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk
Like The Sun on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesun/
Follow The Sun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSun
Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Sun/1633225139
#UKWeather #Hail #Storms

source