The Met Office has identified 55 areas across the United Kingdom that could experience thunderstorms, heavy rain, gusty winds, lightning, and potential hail over the coming days. Three yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms have been issued, covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of northern England.
The warnings come as the UK endures its second heatwave of the year, following the hottest day ever recorded on Thursday, June 25, when temperatures reached 36.4°C in Yeovilton, Somerset, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Thunderstorm Warnings by Region
A yellow alert for thunderstorms will be in effect across North East England, North West England, Yorkshire, and the Humber from 2pm to 9pm on Friday, June 26. The warning states: "Whilst most places will miss them, scattered thunderstorms may break out this afternoon and early evening. Where storms do occur, heavy rain, large hail, gusty winds and frequent lightning are all possible with 15 to 30 mm rain falling in a short space of time in a few places."
In Scotland, a yellow thunderstorm warning began at midnight on Friday and will last until 3am on Saturday. The alert warns of "spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms initially over northwest Scotland" becoming more widespread, with "narrow corridors of 20-30 mm falling in 1 hour and potentially 30-50 mm in 3 hours" possible, along with frequent lightning, large hail (2-4 cm diameter), and locally gusty winds.
Northern Ireland faces a 12-hour yellow warning from 10am to 10pm on Friday. The Met Office cautions that "scattered thunderstorms may either arrive from the south or break out through the rest of this morning and more especially through this afternoon and early evening," with the west of Northern Ireland most at risk. Where storms occur, heavy rain, large hail, gusty winds, and frequent lightning are possible, with 15-30 mm of rain falling in a short time.
Areas Affected
The full list of areas under the yellow thunderstorm warning includes:
- 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: Cumbria.
- Yorkshire & Humber: East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York.
- Central, Tayside & Fife: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling.
- Grampian: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray.
- Highlands & Eilean Siar: Na h-Eileanan Siar, Highland.
- Orkney & Shetland: Orkney Islands.
- SW Scotland, Lothian Borders: Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders, West Lothian.
- Strathclyde: Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire.
- Northern Ireland: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone.
Impact of Heatwave
The thunderstorms follow a record-breaking heatwave that has already triggered storms in parts of England and Wales earlier this week. Greater Manchester was among the areas affected, with a 10-hour yellow warning in place during the early hours of Friday. The Met Office continues to monitor the situation as the UK experiences extreme temperatures.
