Map shows where UK will be hit by thunderstorms today

Thunderstorms are set to sweep across the west of England today with the Met Office issuing an urgent yellow weather warning.

Heavy showers and thunder could cause some disruption from midday today until 8pm.

The forecaster warned of potential damage to buildings, a risk to power supply and difficult driving conditions.

The warning spans from Cornwall to west London, and also covers the south of Wales and Birmingham.

This marks an end to the warm spell of weather this week, with many in the country seeing highs of 23C and even feeling warmer than Barcelona.

But a significant drop in temperature is now expected to come in on Tuesday.

Although the storms are set to subside in the evening, another thunderstorms warning has been issued for Saturday beginning at 1am and lasting until midnight.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Neil Armstrong, said: ‘Thundery downpours are expected to develop in places across the south on Friday afternoon bringing frequent lightning, gusty winds, hail, and spells of heavy rain.

‘The risk of thunderstorms persists into Saturday with potentially longer spells of heavy rain for some along with a continued risk of hail and lightning accompanying the most intense storms, particularly in parts of the Midlands, southern England and east Wales during Saturday afternoon and evening.

‘The warnings cover the areas of the country most at risk of seeing thunderstorms but not everyone within a warning area will experience a thunderstorm. For many much of the time it will remain dry.

‘We are also expecting these showers to merge into longer spells of heavy rain on Sunday and Monday across some southern and central parts, and once the full details become clearer, we may well issue further severe weather warnings so keep up to date with the latest forecast for your area.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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