The Met Office has issued two new yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms across Scotland, with hailstones up to 4cm wide possible for millions of Brits amid the ongoing UK heatwave.
Record-Breaking Heatwave Followed by Storms
Following a record-breaking heatwave on Wednesday, forecasters warn that temperatures could soar even higher to 38C today. However, storms have already begun to hit parts of the UK. The Met Office has issued two yellow warnings for thunderstorms in Scotland, with one in effect from 3pm to midnight tonight and a larger warning covering the entire country on Friday. Amidst the lightning and torrential rain, hailstones of up to 4cm in diameter are possible.
Details of the Thunderstorm Warnings
The Met Office states in the Friday warning: "Spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms initially over northwest Scotland are likely to become more widespread during Friday morning. Further thunderstorms and spells of heavy rain are possible in the afternoon before becoming confined to more northern areas of Scotland later in the day." Rainfall amounts will be highly variable but narrow corridors of 20-30 mm falling in 1 hour and potentially 30-50 mm in 3 hours is possible. Frequent lightning, large hail (2-4 cm diameter) and locally gusty winds with stronger storms.
Heatwave Persists
This latest alert comes as a rare red warning for extreme heat is already in place. Yesterday, temperatures reached 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire, shattering the previous June record from the summer of 1976. The heatwave is expected to persist into Friday, with the Met Office suggesting that the record could be "beaten again". Wednesday's peak temperature surpassed the previous June record of 35.6C set in 1976.
Red Warning for Extreme Heat
The Met Office has forecasted that the intense heat will move northwards on Thursday, "with an even hotter day ahead for some with amber and red extreme heat warnings in force". However, a brisk breeze in the south may make some areas feel slightly cooler. Red warnings for extreme heat have been issued for regions spanning from London and the south coast to Swansea, Somerset and Birmingham until late on Thursday. The forecaster cautioned that "significant disruption to daily life is likely". If temperatures soar to 39C, it would mark the second hottest day in UK history. Even if the mercury hits 38C, it would still rank among the top five hottest days ever recorded, surpassing any day of the 20th century. The heatwave has triggered health alerts, school shutdowns and transport chaos.
Additional Thunderstorm Warning
A yellow warning for thunderstorms has also been issued for southwest England, effective from 6pm today until the end of the day. The current weather conditions are attributed to a "heat-dome" settling over western Europe, causing extreme weather across the continent.
