484 FLIGHTS DELAYED AT LONDON AIRPORTS AS THUNDERSTORMS HIT UK

A total of 484 inbound and outbound flights were delayed across London Gatwick and Heathrow airports on Saturday evening as thunderstorms swept across the South East of England, according to the FlightAware tracker. Heathrow reported 42 per cent of its flights delayed, whilst Gatwick reported 50 per cent. NATS, the UK's air traffic control service, stated that disruption could continue overnight into Sunday. A NATS spokesperson said aircraft needed to avoid affected areas and be spaced further apart to ensure safety, which limited the number of flights that could operate. Both airports advised passengers to check flight status with airlines before travelling.

The disruption occurred as an amber warning for extreme heat remained in place across the East and South East, extending until 9am on Sunday. Friday was confirmed by the Met Office as the UK's hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature of 37.3°C recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk. This surpassed the previous high of 36.7°C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday, and exceeded the long-standing June record from 1976 by more than 1°C. The Met Office said the transition to a westerly influence was bringing the risk of thunderstorms, with thundery showers, gusty winds, lightning and hail forecast for the South East on Saturday evening.

Scientists stated that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, with human-driven climate change fuelling more intense and frequent extreme heat events. The Met Office said further thunderstorms were forecast to move into affected regions as the record-breaking hot spell came to a close.