There were around 28,000 lightning strikes above the UK and the English Channel overnight, the Met Office has said. The night sky was lit up as the bolts flashed in thunderstorms from Wednesday into Thursday.
People have shared images and experiences of the storms, with Harry Paye saying on twitter that he saw 'spooky distant pink flashes'. There was also havoc for air passengers with some flights to Gatwick airport having to be diverted.
The Met Office said: "Provisionally over 28,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK, English Channel and near continent in the last 24 hours." It is forecasting calmer weather today, with showery rain and fog lifting as skies brighten this morning.
Sallyann Marshall said she heard a "huge amount of rain in Grimsby" while another twitter user David said: "Very loud in Lewisham and the wind was wild!"
The Express reports that Gatwick Airport's website showed that a British Airways and Vueling flight from Arrecife, Lanzarote, due at 11.20pm on Wednesday was diverted. An easyJet plane from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt due at 12.05am today was also diverted, the West Sussex airport said.
Jo Sheldon wrote on twitter: "Oh brill, our plane has been diverted to Birmingham airport thanks to the storm. Just a two and a half hour drive back to Gatwick airport to collect the [car]."
The Met Office had issued a thunderstorm warning for parts of the UK on a hot and humid day.
Met Office UK weather forecast:
Today : Residual cloud and showery rain clearing far southeast of England. Otherwise, mostly dry with sunny spells and feeling warm in the south and east. Windy and rather cloudy in far northwest with some showery rain at times.
Tonight : Windy across far northwest with further rain at times, edging east across NI later. Clear spells elsewhere before cloud increases and brings some patchy rain northwards into southern England later.
Friday : Patchy rain in south clearing during the morning. A bright start elsewhere with a rain band moving across Northern Ireland and west Scotland, before turning showery across rest of UK.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday: Saturday fine for most with sunny spells but rain spreading into northwestern areas. Sunday still fine in the southeast, rain or showers elsewhere. Sunshine and showers for most on Monday.
