See the breathtaking winners of 'Weather Photographer of the Year'

This ‘striking’ image of lightning hitting Blackpool scooped top prize at the Weather Photographer of the Year.

Stephen Cheatley landed first place with his sensational photo of several lightning strikes over the Lancashire town.

Runner-up images included pictures of thunderous waves off the UK coastline, ‘the mother of all storms’ in South Dakota, and a double rainbow in Spain.

The awards are organised by The Royal Meteorological Society, who help people whose work is affected by the weather or climate.

The contest, in association with AccuWeather, received more than 4,000 entries depicting spectacular weather phenomena from around the world.

Here’s our selection of the best of the winners.