UK weather: Met Office issues urgent thunderstorm warning as map reveals exact area blasted with 22C & sunshine
THE Met Office has today issued a thunderstorm warning – as other parts of the country are set to bask in 22C sunshine.
Forecasters say the warmer temperatures Brits have been hanging out for are finally on their way.
But while much of the country will enjoy summer conditions this week, some may have to deal with some downpours and thunderstorms first.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning from 11am until 9pm today.
The thunderstorm alert covers south of Carlisle, across Manchester, down to Nottingham and across to Hull.
Forecasters warned it could cause travel chaos.
The Met Office said: “There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.
“Possibly some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes
“Some short-term loss of power and other services is possible.
“Some flooding of a few homes and businesses possible, leading to some damage to buildings or structures.
“Delays to train services are possible.”
It comes as forecasters said Brits in the capital could today bask in warmer temperatures.
The Met said the mercury would likely hit 22C in London around 4pm, and 21C in Wales around the same time.
Speaking of today’s weather as a whole, it said: “Dry with sunny spells for many. Light showers across much of Scotland.
“Showers turning heavy and thundery across much of central and northern England.
“Winds light and feeling pleasant in the sunshine. A little rain possible in the far southeast.”
It said tonight would be mostly dry but cloudy for much of the country.
However, temperatures could dip in Scotland and Northern Ireland under clear skies.
It comes after a weekend washout saw festivals turned to “mud baths“.
Revellers at Download Festival in Leicestershire told how they were stranded in a “mud bath”.
Posting on Twitter, one said: “Because of the situation leaving last night, we aren’t coming back today.
“It just isn’t worth it, cars were getting stuck for hours with no help, no staff at ALL. Arena also a literal mud bath.”
Forecasters also told revellers heading for Glastonbury to pack both wellies and sun cream.
Met Office expert Nicky Maxey said on Friday: “At the moment we have fairly dry ground which would be good for the festival.
“There is rain forecast today which would change things, although how I’m not sure.
“We will have a much better idea as to what to expect in the coming days, as we get closer to Glastonbury.”
Met Office forecast:
Today:
Dry with sunny spells for many. Light showers across much of Scotland. Showers turning heavy and thundery across much of central and northern England. Winds light and feeling pleasant in the sunshine. A little rain possible in the far southeast.
Tonight:
Showers across Scotland and central England gradually fade, turning dry. Cloudy in most places, staying mild but turning chillier under clear skies for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Wednesday:
Cloudy to start the day in the east and south with the odd light showers. Breezy across northern Scotland but elsewhere dry with sunny spells where it will feel warm.
Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:
Largely dry with sunny spells for most, although a few showers possible. Some rain in the north on Friday. Feeling warmer in the sunshine with light winds.
June 22-July 1
A change to cloudier weather with outbreaks of rain, these most prevalent in the west of the UK, is expected to be well underway by the start of the forecast period. However, this may not last too long, as it continues to look increasingly likely that a drier, warmer, and settled spell will begin to develop later this coming weekend, and into the following week. There is a small chance that this could persist for much of the rest of the period, turning increasingly hot, however by mid-next week a large range of outcomes which also include a small chance of colder, more unsettled weather also become possible. Generally settled, and warmer than average conditions appear most likely.
July 2-16
There is little sign for any one type of weather pattern to dominate during this period. As such, typical conditions for the UK are most probable with a mixture of weather types. All areas can expected to see some spells of drier, sunnier weather, but there will also be showers or longer spells of rain at times. Currently the only signals, weak as they are, hint that rain and showers will tend to be more biased towards the north and west, with any more prolonged drier interludes favouring the south. Temperatures are slightly more likely than normal to be above average, than below.