The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for large areas of England and Wales ahead of what looks set to be a wet and blustery weekend for Britons. The yellow weather warning for Saturday is in place from 9am until 6pm on Saturday, with potential for disruption to transport and infrastructure, including delays on roads and train services and power cuts.
Heavy showers and thunderstorms, including hail and powerful winds, are all possible. Up to 40mm of rain could fall over the course of a few hours – more than the rainfall in the entire month of May. Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: “Frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of Saturday, before they fade from the west during the mid-to-late afternoon.
“It’s possible that 10-15mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, while some places could see 30-40mm of rain over several hours from successive showers and thunderstorms.
“Frequent lightning, hail, and strong, gusty winds are also possible.
“A yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued and covers parts of central and southern England and Wales.
“While brisk winds ensure that most places in the warning area will be hit by showers, not all places will see thunderstorms.”
The meteorologist said it is “difficult” to predict exactly where thunderstorms will occur.
The weather warning covers the south-east of England, including the south coast, London, most of East Anglia and the south-west.
Parts of the Midlands, including Birmingham, are also included in the yellow warning, as is much of south and central Wales.
Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not covered by the warning.
The Met Office’s forecast for Saturday says: “Showers becoming widespread across England and Wales, often heavy and accompanied by hail and thunder. Showers more scattered in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and generally easing from the west later.”
Sunday is expected to be drier for most but there could be some showers — most likely in the north — and the east at first.
Many areas are expected to enjoy clear and sunny spells throughout the day, the Met Office said.
