The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm weather warning for large parts of England and Wales ahead of what is anticipated to be the hottest weekend of the year so far. As central and
southern England, along with the entirety of Wales, gear up for a warm and sunny weekend, thunderstorms and rainfall are expected to make an appearance on Saturday.
This change in weather comes after weeks of sustained high pressure, which brought about sunny skies and elevated temperatures. As the high pressure system shifts northwards, the UK is set to experience both soaring temperatures and the arrival of thunderstorms, hail, and rain across central and southern England and Wales.
The weather shift is predicted to occur around 2 pm on Saturday, with the thunderstorm warning in effect until 9 pm on the same day. Oli Clayden from the Met Office has confirmed the possibility of travel disruptions over the weekend. He highlighted the potential for surface water flooding and cautioned about travel disruptions caused by high gusts in various parts of the country.
Some areas could receive 30-40mm of rain per hour during Saturday, accompanied by hail. The temperature is expected to steadily rise leading up to the weekend, with southern parts of England reaching highs of 30°C on Saturday before gradually cooling in the following days.
In addition to the thunderstorm warning, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Met Office have issued the first heat health warning of the year for six regions in England: London, the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East, and South West. The warning will be in effect from 9 am on Friday until Monday morning. Photo by Ludi Ling, Wikimedia commons.