The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning covering 106 areas across the UK as a record-breaking heatwave pushes temperatures towards 39 degrees Celsius. The yellow warning comes into effect at midnight on Friday, June 26, and lasts until 10 a.m., with potential disruption from Thursday night into Friday morning.
Warning Details and Timing
The 10-hour warning applies to parts of England and Wales, where thunderstorms are expected to move northeastwards during the early hours of Friday. The Met Office warns of sudden gusty winds of 50 to 60 mph, particularly in the south and west, along with frequent lightning, hail, and heavy rain of 15-20 mm per hour. A separate thunderstorm warning covers the whole of Scotland from midnight until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, with possible rainfall of 20-30 mm in one hour and 30-50 mm in three hours.
Heatwave Continues
This warning follows the extension of a red warning for extreme heat in London and parts of southeast England until 9 p.m. on Friday. Red and amber warnings remain in place across much of England and Wales on Thursday, with amber warnings for parts of England on Friday and Saturday. On Wednesday, June 24, the June temperature record was broken when provisional figures showed 36.1 degrees Celsius in Gosport, Hampshire. Forecasters predict highs of 38 or 39 degrees Celsius in some areas.
Areas Affected
The thunderstorm warning covers the following regions in England and Wales:
East Midlands: Derby, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire.
London & South East England: Hampshire, Oxfordshire.
North East England: Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland.
North West England: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington.
South West England: Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay, Wiltshire.
Wales: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham.
West Midlands: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire.
Yorkshire & Humber: East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York.
In Scotland, the warning covers all areas including Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar, Orkney & Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, and Strathclyde.
Impact and Advice
The Met Office advises that thunderstorms may cause travel disruption, power cuts, and flooding in some areas. The combination of extreme heat and thunderstorms is typical, as hot weather creates prime conditions for storm development. Residents are urged to stay updated with the latest forecasts and take precautions during the warning period.
