When flash floods and lightning strikes hit Sunderland - a look at some memorable summer storms
Phew what a scorcher! But don’t rule out a thundery shower or two before the end of August.
Weather experts are predicting a heatwave over the next few days with the possibility of heavy showers thrown in.
But will it match these epic scenes which we saw in Sunderland in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
Lightning brought down power lines
In August 1975, a lightning strike had a direct hit on power lines at Witherwack.
It blacked out more than 500 homes and was eventually traced to a lightning strike on the the Fulwell West switch line.
It blew out insulators and conductors, and brought the line to the ground.
Engineers were pictured replacing the damaged cables.
Earlier, they had rigged up a temporary line to provide power to Red House Estate and Fulwell.
Threats to homes in Silksworth
In August 1971, floods threatened to sweep through homes in the Silksworth Lane area and the Sunderland Echo was there to record these scenes.
In August 1980, it took more than two days to re-open a subway in Houghton after it was flooded during storms.
Firefighters faced 3ft of water after flash floods
Here’s a scene from Sunderland in 1997.
Fire crews found themselves in 3ft of water when flash floods hit the city.
Flash floods caused havoc. Hundreds of homes and businesses were left under water after more than three hours of torrential rain.
Firemen were almost waist-deep in water.
Tell us about the worst flash floods that you can remember on Wearside.
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