The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales on Friday, August 28, with households in 64 areas advised to avoid using landlines before 9pm.
The warning is in force from 12pm noon until 9pm this evening, with thunderstorms forecast to bring up to 20mm of rain in a short period, while up to 40mm is possible in some areas. Northern England and much of Wales are expected to see the worst of the showers and thunderstorms during the early afternoon, before the downpours extend over central and eastern England through the afternoon. Lightning and hail are additional hazards in a few locations.
Potential disruption and safety advice
The Met Office has warned the downpours could lead to flooding, power cuts, delays to train services and longer journey times by car and bus due to spray and standing water.
To stay safe during the thunderstorm, households are urged to avoid using landline phones until after 9pm when the storm has passed, unless it is an emergency. This is because telephone lines can conduct electricity, so if lightning strikes near those phone lines, a high-voltage electrical current can travel straight through the wires and into the handset, causing an electric shock.
Similarly, households should avoid using mobile phones while they are plugged into a wall to charge, as power surges can travel through the electrical charger. Any non-essential appliances should be unplugged before a thunderstorm.
Met Office and Red Cross guidance
Wireless devices, like unplugged mobile phones or cordless landline phones, are safe to use indoors as these do not have a physical connection to outdoor metal wires.
In its advice on staying safe during a thunderstorm, the Met Office said: “Lightning can cause power surges, unplug any non-essential appliances if not already using a surge protector.
“Seek shelter if possible, however, keep away from underground or low-lying spaces such as car parks, basements or underpasses which might flood rapidly.
“When you hear thunder you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur, lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm. During the thunderstorm, telephone lines can conduct electricity so try to avoid using the landline, unless in an emergency.”
Households are also urged to unplug other non-essential electronic devices during a thunderstorm, including TVs, gaming consoles, desktop computers, WiFi routers, and laptops that are plugged into chargers, among others.
British Red Cross advice on staying safe in thunder and lightning states: “You should turn off and unplug any non-essential appliances during a thunderstorm to prevent them from being damaged by a power surge. That includes the internet or any plugged-in electrical devices.
“You’ll have to wait until the storm has passed before it’s safe to watch TV, but you can still use a tablet or laptop if they’re not plugged into the main power supply. You should also avoid using landline telephones that plug into the wall, but mobile telephones are safe.”
Areas covered by the warning
The 64 UK areas covered by the yellow warning for thunderstorms on Friday, August 28, are:
East Midlands: Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland.
East of England: Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Peterborough.
London & South East England: Oxfordshire.
North East England: Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees.
North West England: Blackburn with Darwen, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington.
South West England: Gloucestershire.
Wales: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Wrexham.
West Midlands: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire.
Yorkshire & Humber: East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York.
