Sunshine then showers: UK hit by thunderstorms - and there's more to come

We knew the uninterrupted sunshine couldn't last - and it didn't this weekend as the heavens opened and an inch of rain fell across parts of the country.

And what's more, there's more wet weather on its way.

In Weymouth, Dorset, a dramatic flash of lightning was photographed as it streaked across the night sky, while the Met Office received calls from the public saying they'd spotted a rare 'roll cloud' - a low-level cloud forming into a horizontal tube across the sky that appears to be completely detached from the higher level clouds

The wet weather was brought in on the back of a 'Spanish plume' - a pulse of warm, moist air moving north through France and into the UK.

Flash flooding hit properties across south Somerset in Chard, Crewkerne and Castle Cary.

'It's been a fascinating weekend,' Met Office forecaster Michael Lawrence told the Daily Mail.

'It was like two totally different days, all wrapped up into just a few hours. First the sunshine and the humidity, then the thunderstorms and heavy rain. The rain has now made way for much fresher conditions across the country and that's how it's going to stay for the rest of this week.

'It's going to get cooler now, both by day and night, with sunshine and showers.

'The focus of the showers will, however, shift towards the South West, with the South East remaining dry and brightest.

'Overall, it's going to feel a lot fresher and temperatures will drop a little, nearer to the typical for this time of year.'

Although we might not be too pleased, firefighters across the UK are likely to be celebrating the downpours after the hottest April on record sparked a week of wildfires in Britain.

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