Weather Watch: Thunderstorms are a part of our summer

King George II once reportedly described the British summer as “three fine days and a thunderstorm” and, indeed, some parts of southern England saw summery conditions interrupted by thunderstorms last Friday.
Latest weather news with MetDesk in WendoverLatest weather news with MetDesk in Wendover
Latest weather news with MetDesk in Wendover

Our summers wouldn’t be complete without the odd rumble and flash of lightning, with our part of the country likely to see up to 14 days where thunder is heard on average.

While most of these storms are nothing more than barbecue-ruining irritations, we can occasionally get some of the severe variety.

One of the most notable of these events in recent years was back in July 2005, when a thunderstorm produced a powerful tornado that struck the suburbs of Birmingham.

Winds of up to 130mph carved a path through residential areas, with houses badly damaged, cars thrown and hundreds of trees uprooted.

While £40million worth of damage was caused, fortunately, nobody was killed, although 19 people were injured.

While the vast majority is pea-sized or smaller, large hail is an occasional hazard in potent storms.

In June 2012, another powerful storm tracked across the Midlands, with parts of Leicestershire seeing hail the size of golf balls, with some stones even larger than that.

Benign weather is expected over the Aylesbury Vale in the coming days, with storms unlikely.

Thursday and Friday look pleasant and relatively warm with some sunshine, but more unsettled with rain on Friday night.

The weekend is looking cooler with the odd shower but also a lot of dry weather.