The Met Office has issued an immediate yellow thunderstorm warning covering 18 areas of the UK, with frequent lightning, gusty winds, torrential rain, and hail expected until 9pm today.
Warning Details and Affected Areas
The warning, issued this afternoon, covers parts of England. The Met Office forecast states: "An area of thunderstorms moving east across the area will bring a spell of frequent lightning, gusty winds, torrential rain, and a few places, hail."
The storms are moving quickly, reducing the potential for widespread large amounts of rain, but some places could see 20-25 mm of rainfall in a short period in the most active storms, which could bring brief flooding.
Potential Impacts
The majority of impacts are likely to come from other hazards, such as lightning striking buildings and causing power cuts, difficult driving conditions in heavy rain, and some localised damage to vulnerable structures by strong wind gusts or hail.
An amber warning for extreme heat is also in place.
