UK weather warning: Thunderstorms and flooding predicted across Britain

16 June 2020, 15:10

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

Thunderstorms and flooding are expected to batter the UK for the next three days as the Met Office releases multiple yellow weather warnings.

Forecasters are predicting stormy weather from now until Thursday with the west coast, parts of the Midlands, Wales and Northern Ireland set to experience the first downpours later today.

The Met Office has warned residents that heavy rain could cause homes to rapidly flood while lightning strikes and strong winds may cause disruption to public transport and driving.

A spokesperson for the weather service said: "Slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms will break out across many parts of the UK on Tuesday afternoon.

"Some places will miss them, but where they do occur they will bring torrential downpours with 25 to 35 mm rain falling in an hour and perhaps 40 to 50 mm in 2 to 3 hours in one or two places.

"Lightning and hail will be additional hazards. These showers and thunderstorms will only slowly die out through the evening, but may persist across northwest England, southwest Scotland and perhaps eastern Northern Ireland into the early hours of Wednesday morning."

Tomorrow will see the same yellow weather warning remain in place for those regions, with a separate notice extending into the east of the UK.

The rest of the Midlands, parts of the south coast and East Anglia face the risk of flooding and damage to buildings on Wednesday, with the Met Office issuing a danger to life warning.

Heavy gusts and hail are also predicted across the country.

The gloomy weather could cause power outages and some communities could be cut off by floodwaters.

The spokesperson wrote: "Slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms will break out across many parts of the UK again on Wednesday afternoon.

"Some places will miss them, but where they do occur they will bring torrential downpours with 25 to 35 mm rain falling in an hour and perhaps 50 mm in 2 to 3 hours in one or two places.

"Lightning and hail will be additional hazards. These showers and thunderstorms will only slowly die out through the evening."

On Thursday, the yellow weather warning will remain in place for most of the south coast as slow moving heavy showers and thunderstorms spread into the South East and parts of London.

A similar danger to life notice is in place for Thursday's downpours.

The UK is expected to be past the worst of the weather by Friday where no weather warnings are currently in place.