Thunderstorms and heavy rain have relieved the UK this evening as temperatures are set to remain in the low-to-mid 20s after a record-breaking day that set the country alight with wildfires.
As a cold front moves northeastwards toward France, scattered showers are sweeping across Britain. Some parts of Eastern England have been given a yellow warning about more thundery rains tomorrow.
Britons are being warned by The Met Office that heavy rain is possible. frequent lightning, and a small chance of strong wind gusts while further showers will be in the north of the UK before Friday, Saturday and Sunday turns largely dry.
Rail services heading out of London are expected to stay suspended for some time until the weather cools as britons face yet more travel chaos.
Senior Operational Meteorologist, Alex Burkill, told MailOnline: ‘St James Park in west London hadn’t recorded any rain this month, whilst Kew Gardens had only recorded 0.4mm. However, in the last two hours, St James Park has had 0.2mm and Kew has had 2.4mm.’
Heathrow had just 2.4mm of rain on July 1, otherwise it had been dry following the sweltering heatwave temperatures – but in the last two hours, the area has been hit with 0.8mm.
Meanwhile, forecasters predict temperatures will remain in the low-to-mid 20s on Wednesday following a record-breaking day across Britain.
Temperature records were shattered this afternoon as sweltering Britons turned to beaches lakes and even fountains in Trafalgar Square in a desperate bid to cool off.
Heathrow was first to reach the 40C barrier – breaking the old record of 38.7C (102F) measured in Cambridge in 2019. But hottest of all yesterday was Coningsby in Lincolnshire, which recorded 40.3C (104.5F).
Thunderstorms and heavy rain have relieved the UK this evening as temperatures are set to remain in the low-to-mid 20s after a record-breaking day that set the country alight with wildfires (A rainbow is pictured as heavy rain falls at Heathrow airport)
Scattered showers have swept across Britain as a cool front from the Atlantic moves northeastwards towards France – with parts of eastern England facing a yellow warning for more thundery showers tomorrow
Members of the public shelter from the rain at Inveraray Highland Games this afternoon in Inveraray, Scotland
Senior Operational Meteorologist, Alex Burkill, told MailOnline: ‘St James Park in west London hadn’t recorded any rain this month, whilst Kew Gardens had only recorded 0.4mm. However, in the last two hours, St James Park has had 0.2mm and Kew has had 2.4mm’
In one of the most dramatic incidents, at least eight houses were engulfed by flames in the village of Wennington, in the east London borough of Havering
The Met Office has warned Britons to expect periods of heavy rain. A lot of lightning is possible, with a slight chance of wind gusts. However, further rain showers could be expected in the UK’s north before Sunday and Friday turn largely dry.
Pictured: Lightening fills the sky in Whistable, Kent as the sweltering temperatures across Britain drop
Heathrow had just 2.4mm of rain on July 1, otherwise it had been dry following the sweltering heatwave temperatures, but in the last two hours, the area has been hit with 0.8mm
Grasses to ashes: Fire erupts as if from nowhere and rips through fencing and part of TV actress Faye McKeever’s back garden
Picture shows a serious fire in Wennington, Essex, where a number of homes have been destroyed
A fire burns the Kiddi Caru nursery in the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes down to the ground today as blazes take hold of areas across England
A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters are tackling a fire
Shocking pictures show a huge bush fire raging on the Dartford marshes, Kent today
Fires sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall pictured burning on Tuesday evening
Around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London today as the heatwave continues
At least 34 parts of the country broke the UK’s previous national record of 38.7C today, the Met Office said stretching from West Yorkshire to Surrey. Staggeringly, meteorologists calculated that Britain was hotter than 98.9 per cent of the Earth’s surface.
Scotland also recorded its hottest day ever as temperatures climbed to 34.8C (94.64) at Charterhall and Wales set its record yesterday of 37.1C in Hawarden, Flintshire.
The ‘extreme heat’ also led to almost 15,000 homes in the North East being left without power at about 2pm as electrical equipment overheated during the record temperatures.
Families fled for their lives yesterday as homes were engulfed by raging wildfires on the hottest day in UK history.
As temperatures soared to a record high of 40.3C (104.5F), a series of devastating blazes broke out across tinderbox Britain.
Major incidents were declared in London as a huge surge in fires put crews under immense pressure along with services in Leicester, Hertfordshire and South Yorkshire.
Roads were also closed as fires broke out alongside major motorways including the M25 and M1. Emergency call centres were hit with tens of thousands of pleas for help.
At least 8 houses were destroyed by fires in the Havering village, east London..
Dramatic aerial footage showed an entire row of semi-detached homes in grave peril, with almost half of them alight as apocalyptic plumes of smoke rose above the scene and rear gardens reduced to cinders.
Terrified residents were ordered out as 100 firefighters tried to halt a lethal wall of flame spreading from home to home, fanned by warm winds. One firefighter at the scene branded it ‘absolute hell’.
Amid the scramble to evacuate, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was ‘digging a trench’ around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.
With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes. Local councillor Susan Ospreay said: ‘Wennington Village has been completely devastated by fire.’ The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.
A huge black smoke cloud spreads as round 100 firefighters tackle a blaze in the village of Wennington this afternoon as the heatwave continues
Today, around 100 firefighters tackle a fire in Wennington in East London as the heatwave persists.
A crew of firefighters responded to a fire in the gorse forest near Zennor, Cornwall, during this heatwave
Today, temperatures hit 40C and firefighters attended a fire at Dartford Marshes in Kent.
A crew of firefighters responded to a fire in the gorse forest near Zennor, Cornwall, during this heatwave
This afternoon, firefighters attended a bushfire of gorse near Zennor, Cornwall.
A bushfire of gorse during the heatwave in Cornwall, this afternoon.
This morning, after a grassfire, the burned-out remnants of parkland at Skellow in Doncaster were within feet of houses
As they assist a gorse fire in the heatwave that hit Zennor, Cornwall this afternoon, firefighters take a break
This morning, after a grassfire, the burned-out remnants of parkland at Skellow in Doncaster were within feet of houses
This morning, after a grassfire, the burned-out remnants of parkland at Skellow in Doncaster were within feet of houses
Today, a fire is lit in Upminster (Essex) as extreme weather conditions continue.
Birmingham’s Lickey Hills Parkland was destroyed by fire this morning. Fire crews remain on the scene.
Around 4pm, houses caught fire in Kingstone in Barnsley, Yorkshire. The fire alarm was activated and police evacuated the residents.
This morning, after a grassfire, the burned-out remnants of parkland at Skellow in Doncaster were within 100 feet of houses
This morning, after a grassfire, the burned-out remnants of parkland at Skellow in Doncaster were within feet of houses
As the heatwave in London continues, there was a fire at Peckham High Street this afternoon.
Yorkshire residents queued up for over two hours in order to get into Ilkley Lido West Yorkshire
They tried to prevent it from spreading rapidly to other areas, such as tinder-dried scrubland or incinerating their back gardens. Residents claimed that they heard panicked horses whining in the surrounding fields as their homes were destroyed.
Lorry driver Gary Rouel, 64, told how he raced back from work after a phone call from his wife Debbie, 64, saying: ‘She just said, “The house has gone up in flames.”
Mrs Rouel, a dinner lady, tried to round up the couple’s three cats and their dog as firefighters ordered her to evacuate.
Mr Rouel said: ‘It’s terrible. I’ve just finished paying off the mortgage two months ago. It’s heartbreaking. My wife is suffering. [the lung condition] COPD and the fireman was just telling her “Get out, get out!”.’
The couple’s son William, 33, who lives in Halstead, Essex said: ‘My mum sent me a picture of the fire outside the home from the bathroom. It was just coming up, and she wasn’t there.
‘It started in the field, then came into the garden, then it was up to the decking and the conservatory. We think the neighbour’s house has gone too. It’s awful, I watched on TV as the house went up in flames.’ Distressed residents could be seen carrying buckets of water to the Lennards Arms pub where the community had gathered. Others were quick to take out gas canisters.
The fire grew more dangerous and police were forced to evacuate the area. Landlord Walter Martin, 60, said: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s awful. People are devastated.’ Pensioner Lynn Sabberton said: ‘The police came to our house and told us to get what we could.’
Brian Brazier, 75, added: ‘The fire has burnt my stables out. It started as a little fire around the back of the houses and if someone had been there to put it out we wouldn’t have had all this trouble.’
Janet Hickey is a 70-year-old resident who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. She said that as her medications were being evacuated, she was forced leave behind all her drugs. She said: ‘I’ve got all my cancer drugs in the fridge.’
As buildings surrounding the Grade II-listed medieval St Mary and St Peter’s Church caught fire, vicar Rev Elise Peterson called for people to pray for the community.
Firefighters are pictured in the aftermath of a blaze today in Maltby, South Yorkshire
After a bushfire broke out in Maltby (South Yorkshire), it spread to homes, outbuildings and fences.
As hundreds of London firefighters respond to the blazes, you can still see that the Wennington fire continues to rage at night.
The homes seen destroyed in Barnsley today as fires created havoc across the country and families were left homeless
On Tuesday evening, fires that were started at Zennor Head (West Cornwall) by lightning continue to blaze.
The Wennington Fire Brigade is currently responding with 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines.
The extreme heat has caused a huge grass fire to spread to homes in Wennington, East London.
Police were called amid concerns over public safety due to people jumping into the river and lighting portable BBQs at River Swales Waterfalls
The fire started in a field at 4 pm and quickly spread to nearby homes in Wales, South Yorkshire.
The Wennington fire in East London is being tackled by 15 engines of fire and 100 firefighters from London Fire Brigade
The raging wildfire and the devastating heat can set homes in Wennington ablaze.
Scene of an incident involving a fire in Wennington, east London. London Fire Brigade declares a major incident after a ‘great surge’ of fires in the capital
This scorching heat broke the British record for 38.7C (102F). Property was under unprecedented threat on a day where millions worked from their homes. Boris Johnson praised firefighters and the frontline workers for keeping this nation safe.
As the A2 close to Dartford in Kent was clogged with traffic, black smoke rose from the heathland. To create half-mile of flames, flames reaching 30ft in height spread out to form a sheet of fire.
Spirits Rest, an animal and horse sanctuary was within yards of the fires. Owner Christine Bates, 63, said: ‘I was just terrified for the animals. The horses were moved into the backyard, where locals have chickens and others are taking care of our kittens.
‘The fire brigade were here so quickly and fought it back maybe four times – but it just kept springing up again.’
London was burning with ‘significant’ fires in Upminster, Pinner, Croydon, Wembley, Hendon and Southgate.
Zennor was near St Ives, Cornwall. There was an extensive gorse fire. Stonehenge and Stonehenge were both affected. The Wiltshire Fire Service and Dorset fought for the protection of the monument from another nearby fire.
The fire that destroyed the KiddiCaru Milton Keynes nursery at noon caused panic among staff and children. In Oldham, Greater Manchester, police said at least four moorland fires had been ‘started deliberately’.
The blaze that erupted at Lickey Hills Country Park, Birmingham, spread across 50,000 square meters and caused 15 people in the park to be forced to leave their homes.
Amazing videos reveal a massive bushfire raging in Kent’s Dartford marshes.
On July 19, 2022, emergency services in Wennington battle fires at a row house. At least 5 homes were destroyed.
The image shows the flames still burning in a house that has had its roof damaged and blackened by devastating fires.
In this aerial view, smoke from fires being fought by fire services seen in Wennington as London’s firefighters try to battle the infernos
Also, another house was destroyed by the Wennington fire today. The aerial from Sky News was visible above.
London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that the situation was ‘critical’ – but he was criticised for using the day’s events as a way to promote his controversial car control measures, the ULEZ low-emission zone.
Last night in Yorkshire, six homes were reported as being on fire at Barnsley.
In Skellow, near Doncaster, grass fires came within feet of homes, while in Manchester, actress Faye McKeever – who appeared in the Sky 1 sitcom Trollied – tweeted a photo of her back garden fence ablaze.