Stormy weather ahead! Met office warns south will be hit by six hours of thunderstorms tomorrow morning as homes and business face floods
- Swathes of England to face heavy thunderstorms from 6am to 12pm on Friday
The Met Office has warned that the south of England will be battered by six hours of thunderstorms tomorrow morning.
The forecaster issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms which means that homes and businesses could face flooding due to the stormy weather between 6am and 12pm on Friday.
Britons have seen sunny and dry weather in recent days, offering relief from the rainy weather that hit the UK in July and earlier this month.
But tomorrow swathes of England, from Birmingham to Brighton, will be expecting thunderstorms that could cause travel chaos due to poor driving conditions and even damage to homes and buildings due to flooding and lighting strikes.
The south coast, south east, midlands and south west are now on alert for heavy rain, thunder and lightning – and the Met Office has issued another warning for strong winds along the west coast of Wales.
The Met Office has warned that the south of England will be battered by six hours of thunderstorms tomorrow morning
DORSET: Holidaymakers on the busy beach making the most of the hot and cloudy weather at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis
BRIGHTON: Sunbathers soak up the last of the hot weather before downpours tomorrow
The Met Office’s warning said: ‘There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.
‘There is a chance of flooding of a few homes and businesses, leading to some damage to buildings or structures.
They added to expect ‘some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes, as well as short term loss of power’, as well as possible ‘delays to train services’.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Steven Keates said: ‘The main event arrives during Friday evening, with the potential for intense thunderstorms to break out over parts of England, bringing a lot of rain in a short period of time, along with the risk of hail and frequent lightning.
‘At the same time heavy rain, initially arriving into the southwest, will fairly steadily move northeast, potentially bringing some substantial rainfall totals to parts of Northern Ireland and eastern Scotland in particular.’
The week began with bouts of heavy rain but gave way to more pleasant weather across Tuesday and Wednesday – a trend set to continue today.
Across the country, Brits could this week be seen making the most of the sunny spells and comfortable temperatures, with beaches across the south coast packed out with sunwith Thursday set to be the third and final day of nicer conditions.
Conditions will decline overnight into Friday – ringing true the adage, said to have originated with King George II (1683-1760), that British summers are ‘three fine days and a thunderstorm’.
Most of the UK experienced pleasant weather throughout Thursday (left) – but the brighter conditions will give way to heavy cloud cover, rain and thunderstorms on Friday (right)
BLACKPOOL: Holidaymakers brave the rain on Blackpool’s North Pier on August 14
The warning for wind on the Welsh coast runs from midnight tomorrow until 6pm and covers areas from the north west coast of Holyhead and down the coast to Aberystwyth.
The weather agency said: ‘Some bus and train services could be affected, with some journeys taking longer, or even cancellations due to the potential for fallen trees.’
They also said there could be ‘delays for high-sided vehicles and caravans on exposed routes and bridges likely’, and that trees could be damaged.
They also warned of ‘some short term loss of power and other services is possible’.
However, next week we might seeing some hotter weather again, the Met Office has said.
Forecaster Aidan McGivern said: ‘At the end of the weekend, low pressure will be to the northwest of the UK, with higher pressure towards the south. That’s why it’ll be more showery further north, with fewer interludes of rain the further south and east you go.
‘Through next week, the jet stream is likely to become more amplified, and when this happens we become more likely to see warm air across the continent push north during next week, though low pressure is more likely to be in charge in northern areas.
‘However, we run models a number of times to get a sense of the confidence and what we’re seeing is a lot of spread in potential warmth next week, with quite a number of models runs dipping temperatures more towards average.’
Gusts of up to 34mph are expected to whip their way west across the Welsh coast, while windy blasts of around 25mph are expected elsewhere.
There are concerns that elderly people with long-term health conditions will need additional support during the humid spell.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow ‘heat-health’ alert for the Midlands and the south across the weekend, with health and social care services preparing for additional demand.
Health chiefs say there is an ‘increase in risk of mortality among vulnerable individuals’ amid the clammier conditions.
BOURNEMOUTH: Thunderstorms are headed for the UK after a few dry and sunny days
BOURNEMOUTH: Wet weather did nothing to deter beach-goers on the south coast on Monday. Forecasters believe they’ll have to don their anoraks again tomorrow
SCARBOROUGH: A man shelters from the rain that heralded the start of the week. The fine weather will give way to rain, including thunderstorms, later tonight
The dramatic change to conditions has been brought about by a branch of the jetstream in the Atlantic, bringing with it an area of low pressure that will whip up thick clouds across the country.
Speaking in the Met Office’s YouTube series 10 Day Trend, meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: ‘There’s an area of low-pressure to the west. This will orientate with the high pressure and will waft in some warmer air from the south in the next few days.
‘Another area of low-pressure heads towards the UK at the start of Friday.
Britain endured its sixth wettest July ever last month after the country was battered by downpours.
A succession of low pressure systems brought long periods of damp and windy weather to much of the country, making it feel at times more like autumn than summer – a sharp contrast to July 2022, which saw heatwaves and temperatures as high as 40C.
The UK had an average of 140.1mm rain last month, the sixth highest total for July since records began in 1836, according to provisional data.
Some parts of England also set new rainfall records. Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside all saw their wettest July. Lancashire was the wettest county compared to average, with 234.6mm of rain falling in the month.
However, those hoping for a boiling August Bank Holiday weekend are perhaps best advised to temper their expectations, with the Daily Mirror reporting that a Met Office spokesman has advised a significant late summer hot spell is not likely to be on the cards.
They warned: ‘An August Bank Holiday heatwave is looking probably unlikely.’
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