UK weather: Thunderstorm alert issued across country as Met Office warns of ‘lightning strikes and hail’

A thunderstorm warning has been issued for large parts of England and Wales – bringing the threat of “frequent lightning strikes and hail”.

The Met Office yellow thunderstorm warning, which is in effect from 4am to 9pm on Sunday, stretches from the Isle of Wight to the border of Scotland. It also covers the western parts of Wales with Cardiff set to be affected.

“A few showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected” for Saturday evening, the Met Office said, but by Sunday morning “there is an increasing risk of more active and organised heavy showers and thunderstorms moving in to, or developing across, parts of southern England”.

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The alert added: “The risk of storms will then steadily transfer broadly northwards through the afternoon and into the early evening.

“The extent of these thunderstorms is very uncertain, and many places will miss them, but where they do occur, 30 to 40mm of rain may fall in less than an hour with perhaps over 75mm in one or two places, leading to a chance of flooding and disruption.

“Frequent lightning strikes and hail will be additional hazards, most likely across southern and central England.”

The Met Office suggested it would be drier and brighter in the far northwest of England, and warm and humid in the southeast, where temperatures could reach as high as 30C.

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However, deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris warned this is “very much dependent on cloud breaks” and that conditions would only “briefly turn” warmer.

Conditions are expected to be unsettled into next week, “with a chance of showers and some longer spells of heavy rain”.