Met Office issues yellow thunderstorm warning across huge swathe of England

The Met Office has issued an urgent thunderstorm warning covering a large area of the UK today.

The south of England, the Midlands and East Anglia are included in the weather warningarea, as well as parts of Wales. Thunderstorms and heavy showers are expected to last until 8pm this evening.

An alert from the Met Office reads: "Scattered heavy showers, some with thunder, are expected to develop later this morning and into the afternoon, before easing this evening. In the most active storms, hail, strong gusty winds, and lightning may be impactful. There is also a chance that a few spots could see frequent, heavy bursts of rain, leading to surface waterflooding."

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The national forecaster said there is a "good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray" during the showers, while" damage to a few buildings and structures from strong winds and lightning strikes is possible.

Other potential impacts include delays to train services, short-term power cuts, and flooding in some areas.

Separately, six flood alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency in the southwest amid high river levels in the region.

Officials said they were monitoring the situation in Cornwall amid heavy rain over the past 48 hours, and were checking for and clearing blockages in rivers and waterways.

After a wet start to September, a drier and milder picture is expected to emerge at the weekend, with highs of 23C returning to areas in the south. Some showers are forecast on Sunday, and are likely to be accompanied by strong gales.

Regions and local authorities affected: East Midlands

• Derby
• Derbyshire
• Leicester
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Nottingham
• Nottinghamshire
• Rutland

East of England

• Bedford
• Cambridgeshire
• Central Bedfordshire
• Essex
• Hertfordshire
• Luton
• Norfolk
• Peterborough
• Southend-on-Sea
• Suffolk
• Thurrock

London & South East England

• Bracknell Forest
• Buckinghamshire
• Greater London
• Kent
• Medway
• Milton Keynes
• Oxfordshire
• Slough
• Surrey
• Windsor and Maidenhead
• Wokingham

South West England

• Gloucestershire

Wales

• Blaenau Gwent
• Caerphilly
• Carmarthenshire
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Monmouthshire
• Neath Port Talbot
• Powys
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Swansea

West Midlands

• Herefordshire
• Shropshire
• Staffordshire
• Warwickshire
• West Midlands Conurbation
• Worcestershire

Yorkshire & Humber

• East Riding of Yorkshire
• North East Lincolnshire
• North Lincolnshire
• South Yorkshire

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