The Met Office issued a UK thunderstorms power cut warning on Wednesday evening, with fresh warnings for Thursday across parts of England and Wales. The first warning began at 02:00 BST in south-east England, before a wider warning came into force at 06:00 BST.
That second warning runs until 22:00 BST and covers a broad stretch of England and Wales. Within the warning area, 20-30mm of rain could fall in just a few hours, up to 50mm could fall over a 12-hour period, and the wettest hills exposed to an easterly wind could see 75mm.
England and Wales warnings
Thursday morning was expected to start wet in southern England and south Wales, with heavy downpours then moving north across mid and north Wales, the Midlands and parts of eastern England. Northern England was expected to get the rain during the early afternoon, while the second warning may become slow moving later in the day.
The Met Office said the showers could bring large hail, lightning and gusty winds. Hailstones of 1-2cm were also possible.
Flash flooding and power cuts
Downpours could bring localised flash flooding and travel disruption, with hazardous driving conditions expected. Roads could be closed and communities cut off, while lightning strikes could lead to power cuts.
The rain may be welcome in drought-hit areas of England and Wales, but the same wet spell can still overwhelm dry ground and turn fast-moving downpours into flash flooding. Spells of rain were set to continue over the weekend, with windy conditions in the south and further scattered showers that could again be very heavy and thundery after the main line clears northwards.
People in the warning area will need to plan for changing conditions through Thursday, especially where rain falls fastest on already dry ground. The wettest places are the ones most likely to face the combination of standing water, difficult driving and brief disruption to power and roads.
