Scorching sunshine and torrential thunderstorms: what is going on with our weather?

If you thought the weather this Bank Holiday felt more like the Mediterranean you wouldn’t be far wrong. For some time now the jet stream has been diverted well to the north and our weather has been dominated by warm, humid air driven up from the continent.

With the sun, shining temperatures have been hitting the mid to high 20s, however, this building heat has simply pumped more energy into the atmosphere. The knock-on effect has been a mixture of spectacular lightning displays and torrential downpours.

As ever you have been sharing some wonderful photos of the weather where you are. Here are a selection of some of the dramatic photos that have dropped into the meridianweather@itv.com inbox.

No shortage of sunshine across Ringstead Bay. Credit: Rachel Baker
An incredible lightning display in Barton on Sea. Credit: Suzanne Singleton
A stormy night in Selsey. Credit: John and Jean
An incredible shot of lightning over Folkestone. Credit: Greg Esson
An amazing display in Tonbridge. Credit: Matthew Randle
This impressive shot was taken in Fareham. Credit: Lizzy and Mark Wilson
What a show overhead Hayling Island! Credit: Geraint Roberts

This mixture of warm and humid weather with the risk of thunderstorms continues through much of this week.

As ever, you can find the latest weather warnings on the Met Office website: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings#?date=2018-05-29