UK weather: Met Office warns of thunderstorms to hit today with heavy rain, lightning strikes and floods to spark chaos
BRITS are braced for thunderstorms today, bringing heavy rain, lightning strikes and floods to many parts of the UK.
The Met Office currently has two yellow weather warnings in place covering a large chunk of Britain.
The first warns: “Slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms may cause flooding and disruption in places.”
It is in place from midday today until 8pm tonight.
The warning covers mainly central northern parts of England, stretching from north-eastern Wales right across to Norwich.
Major cities such as Birmingham and Manchester are also covered.
The second stretches from south-west England from Plymouth right across to Oxford and most of London.
The warning is in place from 10am today until 7pm tonight.
It says: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms may cause some disruption in places.”
Driving conditions are expected to be “difficult,” according to the forecaster, and drivers can expect some road closures due to “sudden flooding”.
Train and bus services are expected to be affected as well.
Some homes and businesses could also be flooded and there is a “slight chance” of power cuts.
Sunday is expected to get off to a cloudy start though with spells of rain pushing northwards.
It will become showery into the afternoon, mixed with some sunny spells in between them.
Those showers are likely to turn heavy and thundery at times.
Temperatures are expected to be around average for the time of year.
The showers will gradually fade this evening in the south, leaving clearer spells overnight.
Spells of rain though will persist in parts of Scotland, Northern England and Wales leading to a mild night.
Bank Holiday Monday will see cloudier condition to start in the north which will make way for scattered showers.
Those showers are predicted to be less widespread than on Sunday but will still be heavy and thundery at times, especially across Scotland.
Looking further ahead, it will remain changeable with longer spells of rain followed by heavy showers on Tuesday.
Sunny spells and frequent showers on Wednesday and Thursday.
Feeling cooler for most and breezy at times.
The long range weather forecast from the Met Office
May 30 to June 8
“Sunny spells and showers across much of the UK at the start of this period, the showers perhaps heavy in places.
“Moving into the weekend, conditions will become more settled as high pressure builds in from the west.
“A few showers could still develop, particularly in the north, but for many it will become increasingly dry with spells of sunshine.
“For the week that follows, there are no particularly strong signals for a particular type of weather to dominate.
“Overall, the south of the UK will probably be drier, with focus for showers or rainfall tending to be across the north.
“Temperatures will probably be around normal or a little above for the time of year.”
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said earlier this week: “Sunday will have a mixture of sunny spells but also scattered, heavy and in places thundery downpours.
“Not everywhere will see them but where they do occur there is a small chance of some temporary issues such as flooded roads.
“Scotland will be cloudier with rain, while Northern Ireland will also be cloudy but with a chance that heavy showers could break out later too, bringing similar conditions to England and Wales.
“The outlook for Bank Holiday Monday is for brighter, cooler and breezier conditions with scattered showers for England and Wales at first, but a steady drying trend from the west is likely.
“Northern Ireland could well start off fine but cool, and remain settled whilst feeling pleasantly warm in longer sunny spells.
“The focus for heavier showers is expected to transfer to Scotland and possibly northeast England, where again these could be slow moving, the heaviest of which could cause some temporary, localised issues such as flooded roads.”
