The vast majority of lightning strikes recorded in Scotland on Wednesday appear to have hit over the Western Isles area.
Hydro poles and transformers were struck causing powercuts in the islands but outages were brief with power rerouted around the broken part of the network.
The risk of a thunderstorm was forecast and it happened as a band of hot unstable
air passed northward over the Hebrides mid-
Some 8,486 strikes were recorded within 24 hours in Scotland on the day.
The Met Office chart above shows a concentrated level of lightening activity over the Outer Hebrides. Most of the rest of Scotland received none though there were a scattering of strikes up the west coast, in Tayside and the Highlands.
A spokesperson said Wednesday was the "most active day for Scotland" since records began in 2008.
Scotland Hydro Electric Power Distribution a few bolts hit the electricity network which resulted in only minor powercuts.
The thunderstorm was accompanied by a torrential downpour leading to flash flooding in places, as roadside drains struggled to cope, which passed after 30 minutes or so.
Temperatures reached nearly 19°C officially at the Met Office recording station at Stornoway Airport, though it would have felt two or three degrees warmer in sheltered areas.
Much of the length of the east coast of Scotland experienced thunder and lightning in the early hours of Thursday.
Intense lightning activity over Western Isles
2 July 2015