UK Weekend Weather: Yellow thunderstorm warning issued as 40,000 flock to Latitude festival

A yellow thunderstorm warning is in place across the south of the UK this weekend, although other areas will still experience high temperatures and sunny spells.

As the heatwave is coming to an end, Brits should expect heavy rain and thunderstorms across parts of southern England and south Wales between Friday and Sunday, preceded by heavy winds on Friday, the Met Office has said.

Some torrential rain has been forecast across southern England and the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in those areas from 8pm Friday night until 10pm on Saturday.

The Met Office warned of potential flooding, poor travel conditions, lightning and hail.

Staycationers heading on camping trips on the south coast may be impacted by the thundery weather, where about 40,000 people are heading to Latitude festival in Suffolk, East Anglia, which is operating under a government event safety trial.

Met Office deputy chief operational meteorologist David Oliver said: “This yellow rain warning comes as temperatures are set to dip for many areas over the weekend.

“A spell of rain, heavy in places perhaps with some thunder, moves in from the south west late on Friday and into Saturday.”

The Met Office also said that flooding is possible in places over the weekend in central and southern England.

It said that there is the potential for up to 80-100mm of rain to build up in some locations over the course of the day.

However, it will remain sunny and very warm across the northwest on Saturday, despite the heat alert ending today, with temperatures reaching highs of 26C.

Northern Ireland, where an amber heat warning is in place until midnight on Friday, will also remain hot and sunny, with Belfast expected to reach 26C. Temperatures have reached record highs there three times this week, with 31.4C recorded in Armagh on Thursday.

North Sea coastal areas will experience cooler and greyer weather on Saturday, when low cloud is expected to spread.

By Sunday, showers will continue across the south of England, potentially creeping up to the Midlands and occasionally in the north.

Met Office Principal Operational Meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “The warnings in place over the weekend show a marked shift in the weather pattern for many southern areas as low pressure moves in, with potential impacts for business and the public.

“This more unsettled weather brings a risk of torrential downpours and flooding in some places. However, areas further north will cling on to see some fine weather through the weekend, although not quite as hot as recently.”

Temperatures will no longer be in the 30s as we move into next week, marking the end of a record heatwave across the country, during which at least 24 people have died from drowning. Bodies have been recovered from the sea, canals, flooded quarries and rivers across England and Northern Ireland.

The most recent victim was a 16-year-old boy who has yet to be formally identified. His body was found after a seven-hour search in the River Dee in Cheshire, where he is believed to have gone swimming on Thursday afternoon.