The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms covering parts of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with risks of power cuts and flooding.
Warning timings and areas
One yellow warning covers Northern Ireland and will come into force at midday, lasting until midnight. A second covers north-eastern Scotland from 2pm until 9pm, while a third covers northern parts of England and North Wales from 7pm until 10am on Thursday.
As well as heavy rain, thunder, lightning and hail, the national weather agency says there is a risk of power cuts. "Some flooding of a few homes and businesses [is] likely" too.
Expected rainfall and impacts
The weather warning states as much as 20mm of rain is likely in an hour or less in Northern Ireland, with a few places possibly seeing 30mm across a couple of hours. In England and Wales, as much as 50mm could fall across a period of six hours. As much as 30mm is possible in Scotland across "a few hours".
Delays to train services are also on the cards. "Some short-term loss of power and other services is likely" as well.
Advice and affected regions
The Met Office is urging people in the warning areas to get ready for floods by "preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit". People should also get ready for power cuts by "gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items".
UK areas covered by the warnings include counties in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. In England, the areas include Derbyshire, Durham, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Northumberland, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and others.
BBC Weather forecast
The BBC Weather forecast states: "Today, there will be a mixture of sunny spells, areas of variable cloud, and scattered showers. In the north, the showers will be heavy in the afternoon with some thunder. The south will be drier."
"Tonight, central areas of the UK will be cloudy with a more organised area of heavy showers, some locally thundery. Elsewhere, areas of cloud and scattered showers."
