Yellow weather warnings have been extended across much of the UK as thunderstorms threaten to bring flooding and widespread disruption this weekend. The Met Office has issued four separate yellow warnings for heavy rain and thunderstorms, with fast-flowing water posing a danger to life in some areas.
Warnings for south-west England, Northern Ireland and Scotland have been put in place alongside one already issued for large parts of northern, eastern and southern England. All warnings will remain in force from 6pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.
Power cuts and flooding expected
The Met Office warns there is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to homes and businesses, as well as flooding, building damage, travel disruption and road closures. There is also a small chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life across parts of Cornwall, south-west Wales, and central and eastern England.
Some places could see up to 75mm of rain in just a few hours, with heavy showers expected to continue until Wednesday. The Environment Agency has issued 27 flood alerts for the next five days, with surface water flooding impacts possible across much of England on Saturday.
Scotland faces widespread alerts
The agency said impacts were possible across parts of south-west England from Sunday until Monday. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 16 flood alerts covering most of the country.
This follows an amber weather warning which was in place for parts of the UK until 11am on Saturday morning, warning of dangerous thunderstorms. Andy Page, the Met Office's chief meteorologist, said: "The intense rainfall could lead to surface water flooding as well as frequent lightning and hail too."
Weekend travel disruption likely
Page added: "The situation is evolving, and warnings may be changed or added. This weekend is expected to be busy on the roads as more schools in England and Wales break up for the summer holidays, so it's important people keep up-to-date with the very latest forecast."
He said there would be spells of more pleasant weather in parts of the UK through the weekend, with some sunny spells between weather systems. In south-west England on Saturday, some areas could see up to 50mm of rain in just a few hours, with up to 75mm possible in some locations.
Regional rainfall variations
In central and eastern England, up to 30mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, with scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms developing across Saturday afternoon. Northern Ireland will see scattered showers turn heavier from Derry down to Tyrone, with the chance of thunderstorms and up to 20mm of rain per hour in some places.
Scotland will experience areas of heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms arriving from the south during Saturday afternoon. Some places will see persistent rain building up, particularly on south-east facing areas of high ground, with up to 75mm possible in just a few hours.
Despite the rain, temperatures will remain in the high 20s across the weekend before dropping slightly towards the beginning of next week. Showers in Northern Ireland are expected to ease towards Saturday evening.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
