The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms covering six areas of the UK, effective from 6pm until midnight. The warning applies to South West England, where heavy rain, lightning, and hail are expected, along with sudden gusts of wind up to 60mph. The storms may cause power cuts, flooding, and longer journey times.
Areas Under Warning
The six areas covered by the yellow thunderstorm warning are: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Plymouth, Somerset, and Torbay. The Met Office stated that while many areas will miss the storms, those affected could see sudden, gusty winds with 50 to 60 mph possible. Frequent lightning, hail, and heavy rain are additional hazards, with impacts more likely towards the south coast of Devon and Cornwall.
Heatwave Context
The stormy weather follows another scorching day, with extreme heat warnings in force across much of England and Wales. Highs around 38C are possible across the Midlands, South East Wales, and southern England. Thursday is expected to be the peak of the heatwave, with temperatures steadily decreasing thereafter. Red and amber heat-health alerts remain in force across England until 11pm on Friday.
Precautions and Advice
The Met Office recommends preparing for potential power cuts by keeping essentials on hand, such as torches, batteries, mobile phone power packs, and chargers. Households should secure outdoor items like trampolines, bins, sheds, garden furniture, and fences. In the event of a power cut, residents are advised to switch off all electrical appliances that shouldn't be left unattended, leave a light on to know when power is restored, check on neighbours, and call 105 for information. Portable heaters can be used if heating systems are down.
Additional Warnings
The Met Office has also issued a 15-hour power cut warning for 35 UK areas on Thursday. As summer thunderstorms can cause sudden flooding and outages of services like mobile networks, the Met Office stresses the importance of advance preparation. The intense heat creates an unstable atmosphere, leading to sudden stormy weather, particularly after hot and humid conditions.
