Warning for THUNDER today as Met Office map shows where country will be battered by storms, heavy downpours and flash flooding
- Forecast says rain and thunderstorms will break out between 1pm and 8pm
- It will hit parts of England including Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester and Oxford
The Met Office has issued a warning for thunder today in parts of England with a map showing the areas that will be hit by storms, heavy downpours and flash flooding.
It has forecast that heavy showers and thunderstorms will break out between 1pm and 8pm today across parts of central and northern England including Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester and Oxford.
The alert, which was issued at around 10am today, warned that there will ‘probably’ be some damages to buildings caused by lightning strikes in the areas affected.
The Met Office said that there is also chance of heavy rain causing flash flooding of a ‘few homes and businesses’ which will likely lead to some damage.
It added that there is a ‘good chance’ that driving conditions will be impacted by spray, standing water and hail which could hold up commuters travelling by car or bus, while delays to trains are also ‘possible’.
A map showing which areas will be hit by storms, heavy downpours and flash flooding today
It has forecast that heavy showers and thunderstorms will break out between 1pm and 8pm today across parts of central and northern England including Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester and Oxford (pictured taken on Tuesday in Leeds)
While most of London is not expected to be impacted by the wet weather, it will hit parts of Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire.
The Met said that 20mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, with 30mm possible within two hours in one or two places.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms is then expected to ‘steadily die out during Thursday evening’, it added.
The Met Office advises that before a thunderstorm people should unplug any non-essential appliances that are not protected by a surge protector.
It adds that any caught otuside should seek shelterif possible and highlights that when lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm so when you hear thunder you are already in range of where the next flash might be.
The warning comes as earlier this week as thunderstorms battered the country causing mayhem on runways, roads and train-lines, while flash floods caused some schools to shut.
On Tuesday a funnel cloud was also spotted spinning its way across the countryside near Camelford, Cornwall, while floodwaters on the road caused parts of the M6 near Coventry to close down.
Train services in the south of the country were also particularly affected, with the extreme weather causing disruption to Southern and Thameslink trains in East and West Sussex.
Storms in Bedfordshire caused Manshead Academy to shut down for the day on Tuesday
The ongoing downpours on Tuesday also caused the M6 northbound between J2 and J3 near Coventry to close due to flooding on the carriageway. Highways England said they were trying to clear the roads
