Video: Storms light up the sky in Calderdale

The sky over Calderdale was lit up lightning and the rumbling of thunder could be heard from miles around as storms battered the borough and parts of Yorkshire.

Glenn Parry was one of many people enjoying the storms and took this picture of lightning in Todmorden.

The Met Office issued a warning for heavy rain was issued for Yorkshire as lightning and thunderstorms battered the county after a day of searing heat.

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It was a case of two seasons in one day across much of the region as the hottest day of the year came to an end with torrential rain and spectacular lightning storms in the night sky.

For much of the day the county was bathed in sunshine with temperatures said to have been as hot as they have been in September since 1911. But by early evening there was a North/South divide emerging in the country’s fortunes.

While the South soaked up the sun parts of the North were being blighted by torrential downpours as storms hit by the late afternoon.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for rain for the North West, North East, Yorkshire and into parts of Scotland saying the deluge could cause flash flooding and travel disruption.

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Downpours were experienced across West and South Yorkshire last night as lightning lit up the night sky.

According to Professor Piers Forster, director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at Leeds University, the UK is generally getting warmer as a result of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this is leading to more frequent heatwaves like those seen this week.

“The rainfall story is more complex – winters are getting warmer and wetter but the jury is still out on whether our summers will be wetter or drier. A lot of us are enjoying today – but we need to remember that heatwaves are killers.

“The 2003 summer heatwave killed over 20,000 people across Europe. From heat stress and air pollution. Today’s heatwave is a one-in-50 year event. But in 20 years time every September can be expected to have days like this and hotter.

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“We need to be better equipped to cope with them – improving our houses and town and cities. Removing non-electric cars and trucks from our city centres and planting tree- lined avenues would be a great way to start.”

This amazing video shows a ‘tornado’ touching down in Sheffield.

The footage was sent in by Martin McGrail from Reserved Cafe Bistro in Bradfield, Sheffield.

Be sure to watch the video right through to the end, as the huge twisted black cloud formation seems to grow and grow as the video goes on.

Onlookers can be heard remarking ‘Oh my God, stop it now! It’s a tornado...! This is too scary.”