It was very hot in the United Kingdom this week. Southern England had very high temperatures. The sun was bright and the air was warm for many days. The Met Office is a group of people who study the weather. They said the heat was a record for the year. This extreme heat made the ground very hot. Soon, big grey clouds began to move across the sky. These are called thunderclouds. They have a lot of energy inside them.
In a short time, the weather changed. There were many lightning strikes in the southern part of the country. Reports say there were more than 29,000 flashes of light in the sky. It was a spectacular sight, but it was also dangerous. After each bright flash of lightning, people heard a very loud noise. This noise is called thunder. The storm was very powerful because of the heat.
The Met Office gave a red alert warning to the people. They said the weather was difficult for travel. Trains and cars had to move slowly because the rain was very heavy. In some places, the water rose very fast. This is a flash flood. It is hard to drive when there is too much water on the road.
The fire department was also very busy during the storm. They received many phone calls from people who needed help. In some areas, the lightning caused problems. A few buildings caught fire after they were hit by the lightning strikes. Firefighters worked hard to keep everyone safe.
The weather is changing now, but the big storm was a major event. People in England will remember the record heat and the loud thunder for a long time. It shows that nature can be very strong. Residents are now checking their homes and cleaning up after the heavy rain and the extreme heat.