Some strange phenomena were seen during the terrible storms of June and July.

On July 1 West Lothian was battered by a furious thunderstorm, which also featured a tornado. During the storm a lightning bolt hit a street in Armadale with such a deafening crack of thunder that it shook nearby houses. Immediately afterwards, one family saw a “glowing ball of energy” appear over a computer in their living room, crackling as it floated in the air for several seconds. It then exploded and lit up the whole room. The broadband connection in the house was blown up, but otherwise no other damage was reported.

This was a case of ball lightning, a rare and mysterious phenomenon sometimes seen in intense thunderstorms. The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation has received reports of two other ball lightning incidents this summer.

On July 17 a factory building in Denbigh, North Wales, suffered what seemed to be a lightning strike that badly damaged the phone system. However, a witness saw a ball of light pass by outside before striking the factory with a loud explosion, although no external damage to the building was reported.

In Co Clare, Ireland, a ball of lightning was seen during a thunderstorm on June 20. The light was described as about 2m (6ft 6in) across and fell on a field before it exploded.