The Met Office has this morning issued two yellow thunderstorm warnings for 52 areas in England and Wales with potentially 4 cm of rain falling in less than three hours. The forecaster said 50mph winds will potentially hit with driving conditions treacherous.
The first warning is for the South West England, Wales and West Midlands and lasts from 1am Thursday June 12 to 2pm. Forecasters say the impacted regions can aexpect to see frequent lightning strikes and heavy downpours.
A Met Office forecast said: “An area of rain will move northwards across parts of southwest England and Wales during Thursday morning, before clearing later. The rain will be locally heavy with thunderstorms. A few places perhaps receiving 10-20 mm of rain in an hour, and 30-40 mm in 3 hours or less, leading to a risk of disruption. Winds will also be strong at times, perhaps gusting to 40-50 mph around hills and coasts.”
“There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus; Delays to train services are possible; Some short term loss of power and other services is likely.”
Full list of local areas affected
South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Torbay
Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan
West Midlands
Herefordshire, Shropshire
The second warning is for East of England, London and South East England and is in place from Friday June 13 at 4pm until Saturday 7am. The forecast suggests the regions concerned will experience frequent lightning strikes and torrential rain.
A Met Office forecast said: “Thunderstorms are possible across parts of eastern and southeastern England from Friday afternoon through to the early hours of Saturday. Although many places within the warning area may not see any impacts, torrential downpours could bring 30-50mm of rain, with a risk of even greater accumulations should thunderstorms line up, and with much of the rain perhaps falling in a short space of time, leading to a risk of surface water flooding. Thunderstorms may also bring large hail, gusty winds and frequent lightning to some places which could cause damage and power cuts.”
Full list of local regions affected
East of England
Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock
London and South East England
Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Greater London, Kent, Medway, Surrey, West Sussex
What is a yellow weather warning?
Met Office advice:
Keep yourself and others safe; prepare to avoid travelling by road during potentially dangerous road conditions. If you must travel, ensure you watch for possible danger and drive cautiously. It is not safe to drive, walk or swim through floodwater, avoid it where possible and if you are affected by fast flowing or deep-water call 999, and wait for help. Being outside in high winds and/or lightning makes you more vulnerable to injury. If outside, try not to walk, or shelter, close to buildings or trees, or other structures which could be struck by lightning.
If you hear thunder, and are unable to get to a safe enclosed shelter (such as a car), crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked in and hands over your ears making minimal contact with the ground, away from objects that conduct electricity. Before gusty winds arrive, check to ensure moveable objects or temporary structures are well secured. Items include; bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, gazebos, sheds, and fences. Stay up to date with the weather forecast for your area and follow advice from emergency services and local authorities. For further details see Met Office Warnings & Advice.
