The Met Office is urging people across large parts of England and Wales to consider preparing an “emergency” kit as heavy rain and thunderstorms hit today.
Two weather warnings for thunderstorms have been issued this week, one yesterday and one for today. Today’s warning lasts until 10pm and covers parts of England and Wales, warning that as much as 75mm of rain could fall across 12 hours.
Risks and preparation advice
The warning also highlights the risk of lightning strikes, hail, floods and power cuts. People in the warning area are urged to consider preparing for the extreme weather. For areas prone to flash flooding, the Met Office advises: “Consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.”
The Met Office recommends including the following items in any flood kit: insurance documents and a list of contact numbers; torch and spare batteries; first aid kit and any prescription medicines; warm waterproof clothes and blankets; bottled water and snacks; battery or wind-up radio; and supplies for looking after your baby or pet.
Securing property and power cut readiness
The warning also states that 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.
Finally, the Met Office urges people to prepare for potential power cuts by gathering torches, batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
Areas covered and forecast
The warning covers a total of 73 areas, all in England or Wales. These include 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, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire, and all counties in Wales including Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham. Also included are Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and York.
The Met Office says “slow-moving heavy and thundery rain” is likely today, with “unsettled conditions” possibly continuing into Friday and the weekend. The outlook for the weekend 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 should peak at 27C today, with 26C on Friday and Saturday, and 25C on Sunday.
