Thunder and lightning as storms hit Shropshire

This dramatic image was caught by Zoe Morgan, looking out of her lounge window in Craven Arms. Up to an inch of rain fell in some areas that were caught by storms - while other areas escaped with more gentle showers.

Zoe, of Clun Road, said: "It was very dramatic. A thunder bolt came really close just after 8pm."

The storms came after Shropshire and Mid Wales enjoyed the warmest weekend of the years so far.

The outlook remains unsettled, although temperatures will stay mild before cooler weather arrives on Saturday.

Today the region awoke to a thick layer of fog, making driving difficult for motorists in the rush hour.

The start of British Summer Time – marked by the clocks going forward one hour on Saturday night – was heralded by glorious sunshine over the weekend.

Beautiful flowers are on display in The Dingle in Shrewsbury's Quarry, while Shropshire Star reader Garreth Anderson captured cherry blossoms flowering on a tree close to the historic Iron Bridge.

Even in changeable weather there are dramatic scenes to be seen, as shown by a a picture of a cloud formation engulfing a rainbow at Attingham Park submitted via Star Witness by reader Pommysheilah.

The county basked in glorious sunshine for much of the weekend, while St James's Park in central London and Santon Downham in Norfolk enjoyed the hottest weather in Britain, reaching highs of 20.9C (69.6F).

Some parts of the country were hotter than mainland Spain on Saturday and Sunday.

But the early signs of summer have not lasted very long – heavy rain hit the county overnight after the Met Office yesterday issued a yellow rain warning for the West Midlands, including parts of Shropshire. The rush hour commute was also affected by mist and fog across the region this morning.

Daffodils and cherry blossom framed the Iron Bridge as visitors soaked up the sun by the river, boosting trade and tourist numbers.

Pictures of sun-soaked Shropshire were sent in by readers and Mr Anderson, a landscape photographer based at the Green Wood Centre in Coalbroakdale, captured the cherry blossom in full bloom.

In an e-mail, Pommysheilah described the scene at Attingham Park, which she captured about 10 days ago. She said: "My son named Oak saw a rainbow appear so we watched it get brighter. Then, as if that wasn't good enough, this amazing cloud formation called mammatus clouds started to appear."

The rain is predicted to continue throughout the week with showers on Wednesday through to Friday but temperatures will remain warm.