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  "path": "/2026/06/02/violent-thunder-storms-sweep-across-london-rock-southern-england-28619042/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-02T14:03:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "UK",
    "Met Office",
    "Heathrow Airport",
    "storm",
    "London",
    "News Updates",
    "Breaking News",
    "rain",
    "heathrow",
    "June 2, 2026",
    "pic.twitter.com/S8MNDYYCkx",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source",
    "@LaminTamba",
    "@TheLabGuy8",
    "@TraciHarris1970",
    "@JevWard"
  ],
  "textContent": "Met Office rain trackers show how heavy the rain was across southern England this afternoon (Picture: Met Office)\n\nSouthern parts of the UK experienced significant storms bringing with them thunder, lightning, torrential downpours and large hail stones.\n\nMet Office maps showed the extent of the storms as they swept across the capital throughout the afternoon.\n\nOne person at Heathrow Airport said it was the worst storm they had experienced in 25 years.\n\nTheir experience is matched by radars that showed rain falling at a rate of more than 32mm/hour in multiple areas including Heathrow, Gatwick, Southampton, Maidstone and Oxfordshire.\n\nLive lightning trackers show that there were storms stretching from Weymouth in the south west to Canterbury in south east, and all across London.\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News** alerts the moment it happens.\n\nThe storms are expected to spread eastward through the day.\n\nWith them they are bringing bands of significant heavy rain, leading to localised flooding in many parts.\n\nA live lightning tracker shows where the most active storms are at the moment (Picture: lightningmaps.org)\n\nThe disruption comes on the first day of a 24-hour Tube strike, meaning more commuters are travelling on foot or by bike… and today facing a soaked journey home.\n\nOnly last week the UK experienced its hottest ever temperatures with a wall-to-wall sunshine across many parts.\n\nThe Met Office recoreded six consecutive days above 30°C in some places, making Spring 2026 the warmest on reacord for England and Wales.\n\nSpring rainfall was also 14% below the long-term average, meaning this weeks downpours will be more than welcome by gardeners.\n\n> Haven’t heard this kind of thunder in 25yrs. That definitely hit or landed somewhere. Office buildings shook. Car alarms sounding. Intruder alarms going off too. #London #heathrow\n>\n> — Lamin Tamba (@LaminTamba) June 2, 2026\n\n> Feel free to chip in…\n>\n> Hail, rain ☔ thunder ⛈️ and lightning ⚡ in London UK\n>\n> It is June 2026\n>\n> Is this normal 🤔🌩️☔⛈️⚡?\n>\n> — The Lab Guy (@TheLabGuy8) June 2, 2026\n\n> Is anyone else enjoying the deafening hailstones thunder and lightning right now, west London 😱\n>\n> — Traci Harris (@TraciHarris1970) June 2, 2026\n\n> Don't know if you can see lightning pic.twitter.com/S8MNDYYCkx\n>\n> — Traci Harris (@TraciHarris1970) June 2, 2026\n\n> In the last 10 mins the weather in West London has turned from sunny starting to get a bit sticky to Thunder Lightening & possible Armageddon\n>\n> — Jev Ward (@JevWard) June 2, 2026\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Violent thunder storms sweep across London and rock southern England"
}