Hailstorm whites-out south London by Steph Ball
On Tuesday, evening commuters across parts of London were greeted by a scene resembling winter more than summer as severe thunderstorms left a blanket of hail across roads. Commuters had to tread carefully along pavements left icy by the build up of hailstones.
Thunderstorms rattled across many parts of the UK on Tuesday, with a continuation of the unsettled weather which has gripped the country over the last few weeks. There were reports of flash flooding, spectacular lightning displays and of hail the size of fifty pence pieces.
Parts of the A12 in Suffolk were left submerged by flash flooding, leaving rush hour traffic grid-locked, while four people were injured by lightning strikes.
Spectators at Wimbledon were left cowering for cover as thunderstorms descended bringing another day of interrupted play, with the unsettled weather causing a headache for the Wimbledon referee.
While a spell of drier weather should allow some lengthier play through some of Thursday, the general outlook is for the unsettled weather to continue into the weekend. Play could be pushed into a third week, for the 16th time in its history, with the wet weather reported to have caused the worst back log in play for 25 years.
