Fasten your seatbelts, it may be a bumpy ride

LONDON -- It's a photo passengers on the Ryanair flight were probably glad to see after they touched down in sunny Spain.

As their plane headed into the sky over East Midlands Airport on Thursday afternoon, the remnants of what used to be Hurricane Bertha spawned a funnel cloud -- captured in full photographic glory -- seemingly right behind the plane.

Funnel clouds are essentially tornadoes that never touch ground, and the Met Office, Britain's national weather service, confirmed to CBS News that many had been reported across the country in recent days. There have been no reports of actual twisters hitting the ground or causing any damage.

The flight went smoothly, but the storm system has continued to batter much of the U.K., ushering an abrupt end to what had been weeks of relatively warm weather.

The Met warned Friday that a "deeply unstable airmass will cover much of eastern and central England," bringing local thunderstorms to many areas.

Bertha's aftermath drenched much of the U.K. this week, causing floods in northern England and even prompting some evacuation orders as it churned north into Scotland.

While truly extreme weather is rare in England, the Met Office has forecast a dramatic drop in temperatures in Bertha's wake.

Or, as "The Metro" put it in an article on Friday, "the end of summer is on its way." It was good while it lasted.