There were reports of homes being set on fire as more than 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the UK on Wednesday night. But amid dramatic images circulating on social media, Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said the display was not “record-breaking” because during a storm in June 2012 more than 110,000 strikes were recorded.
The thunderstorms were part of a weather system which has been pushed up from the continent, and came after a spell of above-average temperatures. The Met Office recorded a high of 27.2C (81F) in Heathrow on Tuesday, with the average May temperature at just 16C.
“Whilst I’m not detracting from last night it was, you know, there were a lot of lightning strikes, but it wasn’t anywhere near the sort of record that we’ve recorded,” she said.
