Thunderstorms are set to sweep across the UK in the early hours of Friday after days of record-breaking heat, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning covering 75 areas from midnight until 10am.
The warning stretches across the East Midlands, London and the South East, North East, North West, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and Wales. Gusts of up to 60mph and rainfall of 2mm per hour are forecast as the storms move northeastwards.
“Met Office issues yellow thunderstorm warning for 75 UK areas from midnight Friday, with 60mph winds and flood risk.”
The alert follows a heatwave that saw temperatures hit 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday afternoon – a new June record for the UK. Scotland, too, faces a thunderstorm warning after days of temperatures in the low 30s and high 20s.
“There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost,” the Met Office warned. “Where lightning strikes or flooding occurs, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services. There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.”
Spray and sudden flooding could make driving conditions difficult and lead to road closures, the forecaster said. The agency urged people to stock up on batteries and torches, and to put together an emergency flood kit ahead of the severe weather.
With the storms expected to arrive just hours after the heat peaked, the abrupt shift in conditions poses risks of flash floods and power cuts across much of the country.