Weather warnings for thunderstorms and rain have been issued by the Met Office, which says “homes and businesses could be flooded quickly” – especially across parts of Wales and the Midlands
This striking weather map is an icy blue – because thunderstorms are set to pass over large swathes of the UK this weekend.
The heaviest of the storms are likely to batter south Wales and Southwest of England on Saturday afternoon, for which a yellow weather warning is in place. The Met Office says 70mm of rain could fall in a few hours across Saturday, and a further 80mm is likely in places on Sunday.
Another forecaster, Ventusky, has shared an alarming image of where it believes the storms will be at their strongest. Blue hues cover all of Wales, and most of England, as far south as Cornwall to Cumbria in the north. The green and yellow hues denote the strongest of the tempests, and these are feared across south Wales, Somerset, and Wiltshire.
As a result of the forecast, several flood warnings have been issued by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Four of the warnings concern waterways across the Southwest of England, including two sections of the Somerset coast.
With reference to the fourth of the weather warnings, one for rain on Sunday, the Met Office said: “Showers and thunderstorms are expected to merge into broader areas of heavy rain across parts of Wales, central and southern England during Sunday.
“Whilst the strongest signal for impactful rainfall totals appears to be centred across east Wales and west-central England, there is potential right across this highlighted region for some areas to see 30-50 mm in less than 6 hours, with a few places receiving 60-80mm over the course of 12-24 hours.”
It’s thought rain will be heaviest across south Wales throughout Sunday afternoon. It’ll move north and batter parts of the Midlands, including Worcestershire and Herefordshire, as the day progresses.
Temperatures will again drop this weekend too. Thursday saw highs of 26.3C at St James’ Park in central London, and 25.3C in Hurn, Dorset, the Met Office said. It’ll be warmer in the east on Saturday but the mercury will particularly struggle on Sunday, with 19C expected in Ipswich, Suffolk.
