Downpours and thunderstorms will continue to bring a risk of flooding to parts of the UK on Wednesday, with the Met Office warning of travel disruption, lightning and large hail.
A Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms is valid until 22:00 BST on Wednesday and was amended on Wednesday morning to cover northern and eastern Wales, north-west England, the Midlands and parts of eastern and southern England. A further yellow warning is in place for Thursday, when more thunderstorms are expected.
The rain could be heavy enough to bring flash flooding, with as much as 20-30mm falling in some locations within an hour and 40-50mm possible over a few hours. Because the ground has been baked hard by a prolonged dry spell, water is struggling to soak in, raising the risk of surface flooding. Difficult driving conditions are expected and some roads could be closed. Large hail and frequent lightning are also possible.
For some areas that have seen barely any rain so far this August, the next few days could bring the wettest weather in many weeks. Brize Norton in Oxfordshire has recorded just 0.4mm of rain so far this month — less than 1% of its usual August total — while Kew Gardens saw no rain at all in July. Many parts of Scotland will stay dry with sunny spells, though showers are likely in the south-west later.
On Thursday a further yellow warning runs from 06:00 to 22:00 BST, with widespread rainfall totals of 20-30mm expected within three hours and a small chance of 75mm over 12 hours in eastern-facing hills exposed to easterly winds — enough to bring a significant flood risk. Gusty winds may accompany the storms, especially in southern England on Thursday morning.
The Met Office has urged people to keep an eye on hourly forecasts when making outdoor plans, as some storms will arrive at night and may not show up in daily weather icons.
ADVERTISEMENT
Source: BBC Weather. Rewrite for Your News Website.
We do not allow links of any sort in comments. No SPAM whatsoever. On topic comments only.