THUNDERSTORMS are set to hit Britain today as Met Office maps show which areas will be affected by warnings.
The forecaster has issued two yellow weather alerts for Friday and Saturday, which includes a “danger to life” warning, with a risk of up to 70mm of rainfall occurring within a few hours.
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Areas affected on Friday include much of the South West and South Wales but also areas just west of London and in the West Midlands.
While many places will remain dry, thunderstorms and heavy showers could cause some disruption on Friday in a few places.
Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin warned that we’re likely to see some “sunshine sparking some heavy, even thundery showers” in the south of England today.
He however noted that the storms would be “hit and miss” and that not everywhere in the yellow warning area would be hit.
The weather service said there would likely be some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes.
It added that driving conditions may be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.
There may also be some delays to train services, as well as short term losses of power and other services.
It said: “A few thundery showers may be present across southern and southeast England early on Friday, but from the middle of the day they are expected to develop more widely within the warning area.
“Whilst some places will remain dry, where thundery showers do occur, they will bring frequent lightning, gusty winds, potentially some large hail, as well as brief spells of heavy rain.
“15-25 mm of rain fall may fall within an hour, with a very small chance of 30-40 mm falling in 3 hours; the latter most likely across southwest England.
“Showers will tend to ease and fade during Friday evening.”
But while their may be a brief break in the storms on Friday evening, Saturday is expected to bring even more bad weather.
The warning issued for tomorrow affects the entirety of the South West, all of Wales, and much of the rest of southern England that lies west of London.
Much of the Midlands is also expected to be hit by the storms.
Deakin warned that these downpours on Saturday could lead to sudden flooding causing difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
In addition, there is a small chance that some communities could become cut off by these flooded roads.
Where flooding or lightning occur, there could also again be delays or even some cancellations to train and bus services.
The Met Office added that there will be a slight chance of losses of power and other services to some homes and businesses.
There is also a small risk that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
The small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater could also pose a “danger to life”.
The Met Office said: “Whilst there is some uncertainty in the details , scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely to develop and spread northwestwards at times later on Friday night and through Saturday.
“While much of the time it will be dry, and not all places will see these, where they do occur 20-40 mm could fall in less than an hour, with a small chance of isolated accumulations of 50-70 mm over the course of a few hours.
“In addition, hail and frequent lightning may accompany the most intense storms, especially during Saturday afternoon and evening in parts of the Midlands, southern England and east Wales.”
UK 5 day weather forecast
Today:
Low cloud across England and Wales will break as sunny spells develop, however the cloud is likely to linger across the northeast. Heavy and thundery showers developing across the south. Fine and dry across Northern Ireland and Scotland. Feeling warm.
Tonight:
Evening showers across Wales and the southwest will fade. Low cloud, with drizzle in places across the northeast will expand westwards across central areas. Elsewhere, mostly dry with clear spells.
Saturday:
Largely dry in the north with sunny spells, especially in the northwest. Showers or longer spells of rain across the south, these heavy and thundery at times. Warm for many.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
Unsettled across the south Sunday and Monday with showers, or longer spells of rain. Mostly dry with sunny spells across the north, but often cloudy. Drier for all on Tuesday.