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UK weather warning: ‘Plume of thunderstorms’ moves into England as flooding possible

Follow events as they happened

Liam James,Conrad Duncan,Zoe Tidman
Thursday 17 June 2021 12:25 EDT
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UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

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Large parts of the UK were under yellow weather warnings as a “plume of thunderstorms” moved into the country from across the English Channel.

Forecasters have predicted parts of England could see flooding and power cuts over the next few days amid the bad weather, which has seen weather warnings put in place for southeast and central England throughout most of Thursday.

A Met Office spokesperson said parts of East Anglia, the Midlands and the South East could be drenched with up to 50mm of rain in just two hours on Thursday, and up to 70mm on Friday.

“The storms will most likely be coming in on Thursday afternoon and lasting into the evening,” they said.

It came after forecasters said there was a possibility that Wednesday would be the hottest day of the year but the sun did not deliver.

It looks like thunderstorms are now starting to the hit the south coast of England, bringing the recent long stretch of warm weather across the UK to an end:

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 21:46

‘Horrible night’ expected with hot and damp weather, Met Office forecaster says

Many people across England should expect a “horrible night” of hot and humid conditions alongside damp weather, according to the Met Office, as the country’s heatwave comes to an end.

“The rain will be pretty heavy with up to 30mm falling in quite a short timeframe,” forecaster Simon Partridge told the PA news agency.

“It will be a horrible night for many, especially when you're trying to get some sleep, remaining quite hot and humid in London and the South East, at around 17-18C, combined with the damp weather.”

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 22:03

The storm cell pictured below is set to pass over southern England this evening, according to the Essex Weather Centre:

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 22:15

ICYMI: UK heatwave to give way to thunderstorms and hail

Earlier today, meteorologists warned that thunderstorms were set to roll in across most of southern England and Wales to put an end to a near week-long heatwave.

Our reporter, Celine Wadhera, has the full story below:

Heatwave to give way to thunderstorms and hail

Met Office has warned some areas could see strong winds, lightning, thunder and hail

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 22:36

More images of the stormy weather over the coast of Kent earlier this evening can be found below:

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 22:54

Heavy downpours, with thunderstorms in parts of Sussex and Kent, have been making their way across southern England this evening, with outbreaks of rain spreading northeastwards, according to senior BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway:

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 23:13

A reminder that the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across central, southern and eastern England and Wales over the next 24 hours:

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 23:25

Will the wet weather hit Friday’s England vs Scotland match?

The much-anticipated Euro 2020 clash between England and Scotland at Wembley Stadium on Friday evening could be hit with bands of “heavy thundery showers”, according to forecasters.

Meteorologists are expecting thunderstorms to continue until the weekend, with a yellow weather warning still in place for much of England on Friday.

The game will be the first time the UK rivals have met at the European Championship since 1996, when England defeated Scotland 2-0 in the group stage of the tournament.

(AFP via Getty Images)
Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 23:38

Flash flooding has hit Kent this evening as thunderstorms move across southern England, with parts of the high street in the coastal market town of Hythe covered in water at about 11.30pm, according to images shared by ITV News reporter James Dunham:

Conrad Duncan16 June 2021 23:46

Here’s what the weather for the whole of the UK is set to look like on Thursday, according to the Met Office:

Conrad Duncan17 June 2021 00:00

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