See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 12:18 BST, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 15:01 BST, 26 June 2026
Britain's skies were lit up by stunning displays of lightning as thunderstorms struck across the country overnight while the extreme heatwave continued.Astonishing photographs captured bolts striking Stonehenge in Wiltshire, Chesil Beach in Dorset, The Needles on the Isle of Wight and Fistral Beach in Cornwall.Videos filmed in areas such as Manchester, Edinburgh and Somerset also showed extraordinary storms in the early hours - including one featuring horizontal lightning.One lightning strike caused a fire at a nursing home in Glastonbury just after midnight which saw three people evacuated by fire crews and one person taken to hospital.About 25 people remained in St Benedict's Nursing Home in Somerset following the strike, which resulted in smoke being seen coming out from the second floor.It came during another 'tropical night' when temperatures failed to fall below 20C - with the highest UK overnight low in Herstmonceux, West Sussex, being 22.7C.The Met Office confirmed more than 63,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the 24 hours to 10am, and warned many more could follow later today and tomorrow.Yellow thunderstorm warnings were in place for North East England from 2pm to 9pm today and for most of Scotland from the start of today until 3am tomorrow. Dramatic lightning over Totland Pier on the Isle of Wight last night as the heatwave continues A lightning strike at Chesil Beach as seen from West Bay in Dorset overnight A lightning storm over Stonehenge in Wiltshire early this morning, pictured just after midnight Spectacular lightning strikes over Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, overnight Lightning strikes in a thunderstorm over Weymouth in Dorset last night, seen from Portland A lightning storm in the distance behind The Needles on the Isle of Wight just after midnight Lightning strikes over the Hillsborough area of Sheffield this morning as thunderstorms hitThunderstorms moved north across parts of the country overnight and into this morning, bringing heavy rain and frequent lightningAs of 10:00 this morning, over 63,000 lightning strikes have been recorded in the last 24 hours ⛈️ pic.twitter.com/HDTDgu7880— Met Office (@metoffice) June 26, 2026 There was also a warning for Northern Ireland from 10am until 10pm today. All three alert the public to the possibility of flooding, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.An earlier warning for thunderstorms and up to 20mm (0.8in) of rain had been issued for swathes of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from midnight to 10am.Today is a record-breaking third consecutive day of red extreme heat warnings with 38C expected, which would also set a new June record for the third day in a row.London and Manchester could reach 36C today, with Belfast and Cardiff facing highs of 26C. The Heathrow Airport temperature was 30.5C as early as 9am this morning.It comes after a new June record of 36.7C was set yesterday in Merryfield, Somerset – just a day after another new record on Wednesday of 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire; which itself beat a longstanding record of 35.6C dating back to summer 1976.Yesterday was also the UK's seventh hottest day ever, matching a record set in 1911 in Northamptonshire, which had stood as the country's hottest day for nearly 80 years. If 38C is reached today, that would make it the country's fifth hottest day on record.Thousands of schools and nurseries have shut during the heatwave - with some asking parents to pick children up early today amid soaring classroom temperatures - and a South East Water hosepipe ban was brought in for Kent amid surging demand.Transport services have faced major disruption with rail operators urging people to only make essential journeys and one telling people not to travel for beach trips.
