A tornado touched down in Sheffield on 13 September – the same day that other parts of the UK saw highs of 34.4C in the warmest day of 2016 so far. Shocked onlookers managed to capture video footage of the tornado forming on the outskirts of the city, alongside flashes of lightning surrounding it in the sky.
At the same time, Manchester saw its own share of extreme weather conditions with heavy downpours and flash flooding. Flights from Manchesters airports were cancelled and the Champions League game between Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach was postponed. Meanwhile, 20,000 homes in Lancashire were left without power overnight.
On the same day, the southeast saw sweltering heatwave conditions and the hashtag heatwave was trending across the country on Twitter as thousands of Britons headed outside to enjoy the sun. Tuesday (13 September) was also recorded as the hottest September day in 105 years.
However, things are set to switch even for those in the southeast. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for rain on Friday (16 September) and Saturday (17 September), there could be up to 50mm falling within just a few hours that could bring flooding like seen in Manchester.
Rain spreading from the west may turn locally very heavy and thundery from early Friday, with risk of some torrential downpours very locally, a chief forecaster for the Met Office said. It could cause disruption, especially if heavier bursts coincide with urban areas.
