Technicians were working through the night to repair the radar at the Bermuda Weather Service after a bolt of lightning put some electrical equipment out of action.

Duty forecaster James Buxton said last night that the service was unsure whether the building, which is at Bermuda International Airport, had been directly hit, or whether the damage had been done by an electrical surge caused by yesterday morning's storm.

He said: "There has been some damage to the electrical equipment. A lot of computers blinked on and off, and we lost the weather radar and a couple of the computers that receive data from satellite. However, most of the equipment is ok."

He said it was hoped the radar would be repaired by this morning. It gives the forecasters an indication of where the weather is in relation to Bermuda, and shows up rain and the movement of showers.

It is particularly useful for incoming and outgoing aircraft at the airport.