UK weather warning: ‘Plume of thunderstorms’ moves into England as flooding possible
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
Thunderstorm warning
Thunderstorms are expected over the next few days, bringing an end to sunny spells across the UK.
The Met Office has issued a weather warning covering a large part of the country, covering the whole of southeast England and stretching out west to Southampton and north to Peterborough and Norwich.
This yellow warning - which runs until 7pm tonight - means some places could see travel disruption and flooding caused by thunderstorms.
And then from 9am tomorrow, the Met Office has a new thunderstorm warning covering an even greater area.
Southeast to get worst of rain this morning
Forecasters have said southeast England was hit by heavy downpours overnight.
The area is set for thundery showers this morning, the Met Office has said.
Thunderstorms and heatwaves
Stormy weather is expected after the UK has enjoyed days of warm weather.
But why do thunderstorms happen during heatwaves?
Chiara Giordano takes a look:
Why do thunderstorms happen after hot weather?
Forecasters are warning ‘intense’ thunderstorms are set to hit UK
Kent residents share videos of thunderstorms and heavy rain
Residents of a Kent town took to social media last night amid thunderstorms and heavy rains, following a spell of hot weather across much of England and Wales.
Celine Wadhera reports:
UK weather: Torrential rain ends heatwave for south as flash flood reported in Kent
The Met Office has forecast that some areas of England and Wales could see up to a month’s worth of rain over a period of two to three hours
Risk of thunderstorms for some areas
The Met Office has said southeast England and East Anglia are facing a risk of thunderstorms today.
A yellow weather warning is now in place until 9pm tonight:
Dry with sunny spells in north and west parts of UK
But what about the rest of the country?
The Met Office says northern and western parts of the UK are expected to be mostly dry with sunny spells.
Meanwhile, areas further south and east will likely be cloudier - with the risk of thunderstorms later on.
Kent fire service reminder
Kent Fire and Rescue Service has reminded people to be careful after heavy rain overnight:
Images of Kent storm
Here are some striking images from the storm in Kent yesterday:
Storms ‘most likely coming in Thursday afternoon'
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 2.8in 70mm on Friday.
Stephen Dixon said: “The storms will most likely be coming in on Thursday afternoon and lasting into the evening.”
The forecaster added: “Prolonged and heavy rain is expected to spread northwards on Friday, but we’re uncertain about how far north it will progress.”
Additional reporting by PA
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