Train chaos and schools closed as heatwave gives way to monsoon season

Thunder, lightning and hail began overnight and will last intermittently throughout today and tomorrow, coupled with torrential rain and the risk of flash floods.

The sharp change in weather comes after weeks of scorching temperatures, which yesterday peaked at 33.5C in London - the hottest day since July 20, 2006.

Severe flooding caused Dixons City Academy in Bradford to shut today - the final day of summer term.

The Academy, on Manchester Road, posted a message on its website: “Academy shut today due to severe flooding. The site is currently unsafe. So sorry to miss our last day. We wish all of our students a very safe and happy holiday.”

Russell House Primary in West End, Queensbury, near Bradford, also had to close its nursery because of flooding.

Lightning strikes and have caused havoc on mainline rail services, with rush-hour passengers in Yorkshire and elsewhere affected by the stormy weather.

Lightning damaged signalling gear near Beverley in East Yorkshire, causing delays between Hull and Beverley.

To add to travellers’ problems, there were severe delays on London Underground’s District line due to a signal failure

There were also hold-ups to freight services passing through the Channel Tunnel.

The worst of the lightning incidents was in the Manchester area, where signals were damaged by a strike. This meant trains were unable to move in or out of Manchester Piccadilly station, with journey times being extended by up to 90 minutes.

A limited amount of replacement road transport was running between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport.

Lightning affecting signals also meant that no trains were able to run between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh, while a similar problem in the West Midlands led to delays between Coventry/Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street.

More storms are forecast over the Midlands as well as eastern, central, northern and southern parts of England, with the East Midlands, London and Kent seeing the worst of the weather.

Temperatures will dip to the high 20s and remain very humid in the South East, but the west of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be far cooler before the rest of the country gradually follows.

Forecaster Brendan Jones of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “In the last few weeks an area of high pressure has hung over the UK creating settled, very hot conditions. But now air is pushing in from the Atlantic and meeting this humid air, and the combination is causing these strong and violent storms that will last on and off throughout the day and linger into Wednesday.

“The main threat is of flash flooding from localised but torrential rain, especially as the ground is so dry and solid it will not soak up the water very easily. Another threat is from the frequency of the lightning bolts, which could come down to the ground and cause damage. It will remain quite hot and humid in some areas today, but generally everywhere will now start to cool off.”

He added that humid conditions will bring big hailstones which have already been seen in south London.

The Met Office issued a low-level alert warning of storms and torrential downpours across England, Wales and Scotland. It said: “The public should be aware of the risk of localised disruption to travel, and more generally to summer holiday activities, due to, for example, surface water flooding.”

The overall trend for the rest of the week will see the UK gradually cool down, with a continuing risk of showers and thunderstorms. By next week the temperatures are expected to settle in the low 20s.