By Jay Tavares-
Thunderstorm warnings have been given after mercury hits 34C for the sixth consecutive day
The danger to life’ warning was issued by the Met Office with thunderstorms set to worsen this evening.
The national weather service has issued an amber warning for thunderstorms from 5.40pm this evening (August 12) lasting until 9pm tonight.
It says that ‘fast flowing and deep water’ could occur quickly, leading to ‘a danger to life’ and flooding of homes and businesses.
Areas covered by the warning include, Preston, Lancaster, Blackpool, Morecambe, Fleetwood, Lytham St Annes, Chorley, Leyland, Southport, Ormskirk, and the western edges of Blackburn.
Temperatures reached 34.6C (94F) in St James’s Park in central London on Wednesday, making it the first time since at least 1961 that there had been six consecutive days of 34C and above.
It was also the third day in a row of the mercury hitting 35C (95F) or above, with Wednesday’s highest temperature of 35.4C recorded at Heathrow, according to the Met Office.
Forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “It’s not often we get temperatures this high over several days, and that is triggering thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales.”
Severe storms could see 30 to 40mm of rain falling in less than an hour in some places, which comes after heavy downpours lashed large parts of Scotland and caused flooding on Tuesday evening.
“If rain is falling on places that have been quite hot and dry, and the ground is quite hard, the rain doesn’t have anywhere to go, and from that we can see flash flooding,” he added.
Three people died in a train derailment in Aberdeenshire after a ScotRail service crashed on Wednesday amid heavy rain and flooding.
British Transport Police (BTP) said those pronounced dead at the scene near Stonehaven included the train’s driver, while six people were injured in the derailment.
Vehicles were recovered from busy roads after they were abandoned and there were reports of internet services being disrupted.
Ten properties in Lancashire were also affected by flooding following overnight storms, according to the Environment Agency.
Meanwhile, Alton Towers resort told visitors to stay away on Wednesday following an overnight electrical storm which interrupted the park’s water supply.