“Very hazardous” thunderstorms are set to strike the UK today with a yellow warning issued for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Met Office says from midday the storms are likely for millions bringing potential for frequent lightning, strong winds and hail – which could cause flooding, travel issues and power cuts.
A 12-hour warning is in place for all of England, Wales and parts of Northern Ireland from noon today and advises “spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and possible road closures.”
The weather agency said that conditions could change quickly there could be “damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds”.
Communities could be cut-off if rainfall is heavy enough and where lightning and flooding occurs there could be a “chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services”.
The Met Office warns heavy showers could see as much as 80mm falling within three to six hours in the worst affected regions.
However, the heat will continue, with temperatures reaching the mid 20s.
Grahame Madge, for the Met Office, said: “Some of the storms have the potential to be quite intense, with high rainfall rates.
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“Some locations may well miss them all together but all we can do now is indicate that there is a risk across both countries.”
He added: “We will keep the yellow warning closely monitored and if we need to escalate that for local areas then we will.”
Sarah Cook, of the Environment Agency, said: “On Sunday afternoon and into the night, slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to localised surface water flooding across England.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.”
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