London was hit by a dramatic thunderstorm in the early of hours of this morning with lightning strikes seen across the capital.
Photos and videos posted online showed lightning peppering the capital shortly after 4am.
One strike is suspected of starting a fire at a property in Streatham in south London.
Lightning hit building in South London. Crazy storm. pic.twitter.com/nvv4w1EVxo
— mia (@sukamewa) June 27, 2026
Another video captured looking out over Albert Bridge in West London showed spectacular lightning bolts across the sky.
“Storm over Chelsea, London this morning at 4am. At least it watered the plants and gardens.”⁰#storm #london #chelsea #fyp #rain pic.twitter.com/YFUeVkKUsX
— LUKOUT_TV (@LukoutTV) June 27, 2026
A Met Office map records dozens of lightning strikes strikes across the city hitting between around 4.10am and 4.40am amid heavy downpours.
The London Fire Brigade said a lightning strike was believed to have caused a fire at a property where building work was going on in Mitcham Lane.
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were scrambled to the fire in an end of terrace shop with dwellings above that was under construction.
The roof of the building was destroyed by the fire. There were no reports of any injuries.
A witness told the Standard: “ At about 4:10am I was woken up to a big flash and bang, initially I thought my roof was hit. However I left my building and saw that right across from me on the other side of the road a fire had started on a roof.
“It was quite crazy really, in total about seven fire engines came and extinguished the fire, there were remnants of the roof scattered across the pavement. It must've been a really strong strike.
“Thankfully the building hit has been empty for some time, only recently some construction/renovations started on it. However the building connected right next to it is inhabited, so many residents left and took their belongings just in case.”
It comes after an incredible storm in London saw thousands of lightning strikes hit the capital in the early hours of Tuesday.
Bro this thunderstorm in London rn is insane 😭 pic.twitter.com/qtIjW623a7
— Chiesa🇵🇹🇯🇵🇳🇱 (@Hazariio) June 27, 2026
On Saturday an amber heat alert for the capital was extended on what is expected to be the last day of the record-breaking week-long heatwave.
Temperatures are predicted to reach 32C on Saturday, before dropping considerably on Sunday to highs of 26C.
A amber extreme heat warning in place today until 9pm was extended to 9am on Sunday. The red warning for the capital has now been lifted.
The Met Office said it was extending the heat alert "to cater for [the] final hot and humid night of the departing heatwave".
Extreme heat warnings warn of potential impacts to lives, infrastructure and property.
There is a risk of further thunderstorms before temperatures return more towards the seasonal average later on Sunday and into Monday.
The Met Office said a drop in temperatures will develop in the west of the UK at first, with these fresher conditions spreading slowly further east over the course of the weekend.
London saw its hottest ever June day on Friday as a blistering heatwave took temperatures to a high of 36.4C.
The temperature recorded at Heathrow beat the previous record of 35.6C in Camden in 1957.
Meanwhile, a new UK June heat record was set in Wattisham in Suffolk, which reached 37.3C on Friday afternoon.
The heatwave has impacted hundreds of schools, shops and offices in the capital, with many closing on the hottest days.
It also caused disruption on the railways, with multiple train operators urging passengers not to travel.
While it has led to extreme temperatures on the Tube and other public transport.
Passengers reported "sweating buckets" in packed carriages, while the extreme heat has been contributing to delays on the network.
Scientists warned that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, with human-driven climate change fuelling more intense and frequent extreme heat events.
The heatwave has been driven by a “heat-dome” – an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat – settling over western Europe and bringing extreme conditions across the continent.
The Met Office said next week will bring a mixed picture for the UK’s weather, with a combination of cloudy and sunny spells, as well as influxes of rain from the west at times.
