Incredible pictures show the skies ablaze with lightning as thunderstorms batter Britain amid a scorching heatwave.
Fierce thunderstorms awoke households overnight as the week's baking temperatures made for another sweltering evening ahead of a .
The Met Office's thunderstorm warning ended at 9am this morning after parts of the UK were battered by thunder and lightning overnight that caused trees to topple, powercuts and a house fire.
Thunderstorm struck Greater Manchester in the early hours of this morning with some claiming it was the loudest and brightest they'd ever witnessed.
Mancunians reported being awoken by the loud bangs and flashes of light as thunder and lightning, and deluge of rain arrived around 2am.
Skywatchers from Wales to Bristol, the West Country, west Yorkshire and London were awoken epic displays overnight, as the baking heat gave rise to perfect lightning conditions.
Dramatic images from the capital show London's skyscraper backdrop illuminated by lightning forks.
A house near Wrexham caught fire after being struck by lightning overnight, reports Wales Online .
Nobody was injured, the local fire service said.
The yellow was in force overnight and earlier this morning across the UK today, ahead of what now looks set to be a 39C record-breaking scorcher tomorrow.
Some areas of Plymouth were hit by powercuts as a powerful thunderstorm rolled through Devon and Cornwall, lighting up the skies over the Westcountry.
Up north, Mancunians were stunned by the extreme weather display, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Ruby posted on Twitter : "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."
Temperatures will spike at 33C in Norwich, with highs of 31C in London and 30C in Peterborough today.
Then the mercury is expected to soar as high as 39C on Thursday, and in the low 30s elsewhere.
If the forecast is accurate, tomorrow will become the hottest July day ever in the UK, surpassing the 36.7C record set at Heathrow in 2015.
Public Health England and the Met Office issued a level three heatwave warning for the UK yesterday.
The alert advised people to stay out of the sun, keep their homes as cool as possible and drink plenty of fluids.
The baking hot air created perfect thunderstorm conditions across the UK overnight.
After a day of temperatures peaking at 29.4C in Chivenor, Devon and Cornwall were lashed by brief and heavy downpours that brought down trees, reports Plymouth Live .
Temperatures in the region have cooled to the low 20s in the Westcountry again today, but the heat and humidity are set to rise over the coming days.
