‘Danger to life’ weather warnings as UK braces for thunderstorms after sunny weekend
Fast flowing or deep floodwater caused by the storms could cause a danger to life, the Met Office has warned
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Thunderstorm and rain warnings have been issued after the UK recorded its hottest day of the year so far.
The mercury is forecast to reach as high as 27C by Sunday late afternoon, but the recent sunny spell could disappear by the end of the day with three “danger to life” yellow warnings for thunderstorms in place.
One alert covering most areas of the west of the UK, including the majority of Wales, has been extended until 11pm. A warning for Scotland expires at 3am on Monday, and one for Northern Ireland ends at 7pm on Sunday.
The Met Office warned: “Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
“Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.”
Honor Criswick, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the storms might “band together” in areas across the UK, resulting in intense bursts of lightning and heavy rainfall.
She said: “In the areas with heavy showers, it’s expected to get a bit gustier as well, and surface water flooding is also a possibility.”
Ms Criswick said temperatures were expected to peak on Sunday before it starts to become cooler again next week.
She said: “We might see highs of 27C in London today, and it might just reach 28C in areas of central England and the South East as well, which is where we’re likely to see the best of the weather throughout the day. It’s likely to be a bit muggy in places too.
“But today is likely to be the peak. From tomorrow onwards, things will start to get a bit cooler.
“It will still be fairly warm, with temperatures in the high teens and early twenties, but cooler than it has been over the past few days.”
The Met Office has also issued new warnings for rain in south west England for Monday.
Spells of heavy rain area also expected to hit eastern areas of Northern Ireland on Monday, with a warning in place from 12pm until 6am Tuesday.
The same warning is in place for southern Wales on Monday, where heavy rain is forecast for areas including Swansea and Cardiff between 8am and midnight.
The Met Office advised those living in areas affected by rain warnings to prepare for disruption to public transport and the possibility of some interruption to power supplies.
On Saturday all four home nations recorded their hottest days of the year so far.
Herstmonceux, East Sussex, had the highest at 25.9C, slightly ahead of Cassley in northern Scotland where a temperature of 25.7C was recorded.
Gogerddan in Wales reached 25.1C on Sunday, while temperatures in Northern Ireland peaked at 23.8C in Magilligan.
However, Simon Partridge, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the year-so-far records were “not likely to last long” because forecasters expect it to be even warmer on Sunday.
He added: “The difference (on Sunday) is that it is not likely to be as warm for Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland.
“The really warm air will probably be confined to southern and eastern parts of England, with temperatures expected to peak in central parts of the country at around 27C.”