The entire British Isles are subject to a yellow Be Alert weather warning for severe thunderstorms next week.
The Met Office warning is valid for 48 hours from 00.01 on Monday (10th) and reads:
What to expect
- There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes and large hail.
- Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to public transport.
- Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and increased chance of accidents.
- There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
- There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life
Areas of thunderstorms are increasingly likely to develop over the south of the UK or nearby continent late in the weekend or early next week, and will generally track north or north-westwards, potentially affecting all parts of the UK at some points during this period.
Whilst the most intense thunderstorms, in some instances associated with large hail, will most probably be those triggered by the high temperatures of the day over England and Wales, other areas of storms producing heavy rainfall and frequent lightning could reach further north at times over Scotland and Northern Ireland. These could occur at any time of the day.
Of the area highlighted, at present the west of Northern Ireland and west of Scotland seem less likely to be affected than other areas, but still could not be ruled out.
Where the storms occur, rainfall totals of 30-40 mm could fall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving 60-80 mm in 3 hours, although these will be fairly isolated.
Follow the updates by visiting the Met Office Website. You can also watch a live feed of lightning storms on Real Time Lightning Maps.
Image: © Ainsley Bennett
