The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning covering 73 areas in England and Wales, with as much as 75mm of rain possible in 12 hours. The warning is in force until 10pm today (August 27) and follows a similar alert issued yesterday (August 26).
Risks include lightning, hail and power cuts
The warning highlights risks of lightning strikes, hail, floods and power cuts. People in affected areas are urged to consider preparing for the extreme weather, including assembling an emergency flood kit.
For areas prone to flash flooding, the Met Office advises: “Consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.” Recommended items for a flood kit include insurance documents and a list of contact numbers, a torch and spare batteries, a first aid kit and prescription medicines, warm waterproof clothes and blankets, bottled water and snacks, a battery or wind-up radio, and supplies for babies or pets.
Securing property and preparing for outages
The warning also says people should “ensure moveable objects or temporary structures are well secured” before strong winds arrive, including bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, gazebos, sheds and fences. Residents are also advised to prepare for potential power cuts by gathering torches, batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
The 73 areas covered are all in England or Wales, including Warrington, Greater Manchester, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, York, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Halton, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, and all Welsh counties including Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Wrexham, and others.
Unsettled conditions continue into weekend
The Met Office says “slow-moving heavy and thundery rain” is likely today, with “unsettled conditions” possibly continuing on Friday and into the weekend. The outlook states: “Low pressure systems will continue to bring rain and heavy showers across many areas through this period. Temperatures trending nearer to average, but feeling warm in the sunnier moments.”
Temperatures are expected to peak at 27C today, with 26C on Friday and Saturday, and 25C on Sunday.
