Skies lit up by 'epic' lightning show of 9,000 strikes

They say lightning never strikes twice - but on Thursday night people watched in awe as almost 9,000 strikes lit up the skies above the north west, during what many described as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.

Nature's spectacular display lasted more than an hour and was witnessed mostly in Counties Londonderry and nearby Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland.

"One word: epic," said Derry-based photographer Patryk Sadowski.

"The whole neighbourhood came out to watch; people were applauding and shouting with delight... though I know not everyone likes thunderstorms. It was an incredible experience, straight out of a movie."

While it is not unusual for us to see thunderstorms, the intensity of the storms last night created quite a stir.

Reports on social media show extended periods of flashes of lightning stretching across the north west, where the bulk of the storms hit.

BBC News NI spoke to some of the people who travelled to see it.

Ian McMichael drove to Magilligan beach to witness the spectacular.

"It was not as noisy as I expected it, definitely seemed more electrical," he said.

"Definitely a once in a lifetime. I absolutely put this up there with the big aurora in May - an amazing evening."

"Watching the lightning light up the sky in Castlerock was fascinating," said Joanne McMullan.

"The bright flashes and dramatic fork lightning created an unforgettable display, making the storm both powerful and beautiful to watch."

The force of nature was also felt in Castlederg, County Tyrone, which recorded the hottest temperature in Northern Ireland just hours earlier at 30.8C.

That matches the 30.8C recorded in County Fermanagh in 1976, 50 years ago.

The thunderstorm followed days of scorching weather, with temperatures reaching into the 30s.

It had been expected - but very few expected the lengthy display from the skies above.

Young people in their late teens - many of whom have never seen a "proper" thunderstorm - used their phones to capture the moment.

"What a light show - mother nature at her absolute finest," said Kevin Carlin.

"The whole sky, for about 50 minutes, was just flash, flash, flash."

He said the nearest he had seen to that was at a lake in northern Italy.

"I've never seen the like of that before in Ireland - really, really impressive."

It comes as Northern Ireland has had its warmest June night on record with temperatures falling no lower than 19.1C on Thursday night at Murlough in County Down.

That is just 0.9C off what would be classed as a "tropical night" where temperatures stay at 20C or above overnight.

The previous warmest night record for June was just last year in 2025 when thermometers fell no lower than 18.2C at Aldergrove in County Antrim.

The Met Office and the Irish weather service, Met Éireann, had issued warnings following the intense heat on Thursday.

A warning for further thunderstorms is in place across Northern Ireland and much of the Republic on Friday.

A thunderstorm warning has been issued across Northern Ireland on Friday until 22:00.

While many places are expected to miss them all together, the storms are expected to pop up throughout today before clearing this evening.

The Met Office has said western areas are most likely to see the storms with heavy rain, hail, gusty winds, and frequent lightning all possible.

The organisation is expecting that between 15-30mm of rain code for in a short amount of time.

Together that could cause some disruption including possible power cuts, flooding, and travel delays.

In the Republic of Ireland, a Met Éireann, weather warning for thunderstorms is in place across much of the country until 18:00 local time.

A further warning has been issued for nine counties in the Republic until 22:00.

While not everywhere will see the storms, disruption is expected where they do hit.