Lightning and thunder battered Britain last night, with GB News obtaining an incredible image of the phenomenon over the English Channel.
Nearly 30,000 strikes were recorded in the UK in the last 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday, according to Met Office data.
All 29,074 streaks of lightning were over England, with over three in five occurring in Somerset.
The south-west region recorded 18,540 strikes, according to the National Weather Service.
The south-east of England experienced hundreds more strikes on Tuesday morning.
Temperatures reached 20.4C in Gosport, Hampshire, the highest in the UK, while eight other places recorded a tropical night, with temperatures not falling below 20C.
A house just east of Bristol caught fire last night, shortly before 6pm.
Everyone inside escaped unharmed.
A rare red weather warning for “extreme heat” has also been issued for central and southern England and Wales, the first red warning since July 2022.
The alert comes into force on Wednesday morning at 9am and lasts 36 hours until 9pm Thursday.
Temperatures are expected to rise to near-record-breaking heights, with highs in parts between 38C to 40C.
Top temperatures are expected on Wednesday and Thursday, potentially testing the UK’s all-time record of 40.3C.
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Areas just west of London, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire, are forecast to be the hottest.
It is widely expected that this week could break the record for the hottest June temperature of 35.6C, set in 1976 in Southampton.
The extreme heat could also disrupt rail, road and air travel, with the possibility of some tarmac melting, according to the Met Office.
Alongside the two-day red alert, the Met Office has issued a four-day amber heat warning for parts of England and Wales from Monday to Thursday.
Wednesday and Thursday’s amber alert expands to include parts of Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and Cheshire.
People in the alert area are advised to drink plenty of fluids and keep out of the sun and avoid exercising between 11am and 3pm, the weather service said.
The heat comes after at least 15 people died after getting into trouble in open water during a hot spell in May.
Mr Partridge said: “We’re also asking everybody to be very wary around bodies of water, because in the last heatwave, unfortunately, quite a few people lost their lives by going into cold water and getting cold water shock.
“That’s still very much an issue, so just be careful how you cool yourself down. If there’s the option between a hose pipe and jumping in the lake, probably go for the hose pipe and just keep yourself safer.”
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