These images capture the moment a thunderstorm struck Greater Manchester in the early hours of this morning - with some claiming it was the loudest and brightest they'd ever witnessed.
Thunder, lightning and a deluge of rain arrived in the region at around 2am.
Many Mancunians said they were woken up by the loud bangs and flashes of light.
A number of social media users have shared spectacular images and video clips of the moment the storm shook the region.
There were reports of thunder and lightning in several areas of Greater Manchester, including the city centre, Trafford, Tameside, Oldham and Bolton.
Sian Devine wrote on Twitter: "What a thunderstorm. Over Old Trafford football ground in Manchester just now."
Ruby posted: "Last time I had a thunderstorm like this it was Florida. Not Manchester! This is insane."
Twitter user @MadMancMama wrote: "Been awake for nearly an hour now after Manchester's just got battered with the loudest and brightest thunderstorm I've ever seen and it's still going."
Anne Little wrote on Facebook: "It was right overhead. Loud and very bright. Didn’t like it."
Maureen Keelan commented: "It woke me up I thought at first it was someones alarm going off when I saw blue flashes."
Jonathan Hill tweeted a picture of a purple illuminated sky and wrote: "The colour of that sky mid-lightning flash!"
The Met Office issued a yellow weather alert warning there could be a storm overnight, which covers the whole of the region and includes most of the UK.
It remains in place until 9am this morning, although the storms appear to have cleared in the Manchester area.
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According to the Met Office it is expected to be a bit of a cloudy morning in the North West today.
The cloud will clear by the afternoon, making way for warm sunny spells.
Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 27C, which is slightly cooler compared to yesterday.
However, it is forecast to be the hottest day of the year so far tomorrow.
Temperatures are forecast to climb to 33C on Thursday.
Meteorologists have said to expect a very hot and humid day, with the risk of another spell of thundery showers later on.
On Friday conditions are expected to be a lot more fresher.
Forecasters have said there will be dry and sunny weather, but there will be some heavy showers possible too.
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