The Met Office has issued a new weather warning after thunderstorms hit parts of the UK overnight. As the storms continue, forecasters are warning of potential disruption and flooding in some areas of the Midlands, the East of England and Wales – as well as parts of neighbouring regions. There has been some travel disruption, with the Met Office warning of heavy rain and “frequent” lightning strikes.
Some roads remain closed in the South West of England due to damage after the storms overnight into Thursday. The current weather warning is in place from 12:00 to 23:59 BST.
Possible flooding could lead to “difficult driving conditions and some road closures”, according to the Met Office.Storms are likely to develop on Thursday afternoon and evening, and to slowly move westwards or northwestwards from the east. People living in flood risk areas are advised to plan ahead.
The worst of the weather will be well-scattered, however, meaning some places within the warning area could stay completely dry, while others could face significant deluges.
The latest warning comes after spectacular thunderstorms rumbled across southern England and Wales on Wednesday night – with many people being woken in the early hours of Thursday by dramatic lightning strikes.
There were thousands of lightning flashes across the region, with people marvelling at the strikes on social media. Emma Richardson from Woking, Surrey, said it was an “amazing experience”. There was even a giant rumble and cracking sound for the big finale.In Westbury, Wiltshire, lightning damaged the electricity supply on the railway.
Lines have since reopened and National Rail says services in the area are running as normal. A number of roads in Devon have been affected by the bad weather, including. Earlier, another tree fell on the A396, blocking half of the carriageway towards Tiverton. It has since been moved and the road is open as normal.
In Watford, a lightning strike caused a house fire at about 05:30 BST. And two buildings were damaged by the lightning strikes overnight in Sussex.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue said a care home in Elmer was struck while a building at the University of Chichester faced damage to its roof and power.
Michael Tiddy, who witnessed the storm in Elmer, said he heard an “extremely loud bang like an explosion” and saw emergency service vehicles arrive at the home. No-one was injured and residents have been relocated.
Mr Tiddy described it at “one hell of a storm. Despite the thunderstorm warning, forecasters expect the wet weather and storms to ease as the day wears on.
Other areas are forecast to see sunshine later, with some places possibly experiencing the warmest day of the year. Highs of 22C are expected in East Anglia.
Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to remain largely dry in the 20s with the Eastern coast of England staying quite cool with temperatures between 13C and 14C.
Source: BBC
