Two separate yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms have been issued by the Met Office for Sunday, August 30, covering almost the whole of the UK. The alerts come into effect at 11am, with heavy rain, hail, frequent lightning and strong winds of up to 45mph forecast.
First warning covers most of England, Wales and southern Scotland
The first warning, covering Greater Manchester and the rest of north west England, remains in place from 11am until 11.59pm. It affects large parts of the East Midlands, East of England, London and south east England, north east England, north west England, south west England, Scotland, Wales, West Midlands, and Yorkshire.
The alert description reads: "Heavy showers and thunderstorms bringing disruption to transport, infrastructure and outdoor activities." The Met Office has warned of impacts including affected driving conditions, possible delays to train services, some damage to buildings and structures from lightning strikes, short-term loss of power, and some flooding.
Second warning for Scotland, Northern Ireland and north east England
A second alert, also starting at 11am, is in force across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and north east England, and will be lifted at 9pm.
The forecast warns: "Showers, heavy and thundery, will reach southwest England and Wales later Sunday morning, before spreading and developing more widely during the afternoon. Whilst some areas will miss the heaviest showers, where they do occur 10-15 mm of rain is possible in less than an hour, with 30-40 mm possible over several hours, these larger totals most likely for parts of north and northwest England and southwest Scotland."
It adds: "Hail, frequent lightning and, in southern parts of England and Wales, wind gusts of 35-45 mph will be additional hazards. Heaviest showers and thunderstorms will become more isolated later in the evening."
