Thunderstorms across London have led to some flash flooding and forced the capital’s only cable car to close.
Hailstones pelted London on Monday afternoon, blocking roads and leaving some streets covered in an inch of water.
Flood water shut the Hendon Way (A41) between Wessex Gardens and the Brent Cross Flyover, forcing buses to divert.
Heavy hailstone shower in London this afternoon. #weather pic.twitter.com/4aZEiGspif
— Jason Rodrigues (@RodriguesJasonL) May 12, 2025
Elsewhere, roads in Shoreditch were left flooded by the intense rainfall. Within a few minutes, the water level at the top of Brick Lane had reached the bottom of cars.
Meanwhile, the IFS Cloud Cable Car, which stretches between North Greenwich and the Royal Docks, was closed shortly after 5pm on Monday due to a “high lightning risk in the area,” Transport for London said.
The cable car reopened around three hours later, according to TfL.
A yellow thunderstorm warning came into force at midday on Monday, stretching from London across large parts of the west of England and Wales.
The warning is expected to be lifted in the capital at 10pm on Monday, the Met Office said.
The forecaster warned there could be spray and sudden flooding, leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
It also warned that flooding and lightning may cause delays and cancellations to trains and buses.
The thunderstorm was a sharp contrast to the weather in London earlier in the day.
Temperatures in the capital had crept up to 24C before the storm began.
The Met Office has said that temperatures are set to rise further to 26C on Tuesday and sunny conditions are expected for the rest of the week.
