Met Office issues urgent 12-hour storm chaos warning with imminent 'damage' expected

The Met Office has placed several regions under a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms - with some areas braced for full impacts.

20:03, Tue, Jul 9, 2024 | UPDATED: 20:49, Tue, Jul 9, 2024

UK weather: Met Office forecasts thunderstorms to clear

The Met Office is predicting storm drama in hours after much of the country has been drenched in torrential downpours all day. The forecaster has placed several regions under a yellow thunderstorm warning - which came into force from 2pm and will remain in place until 2am tomorrow (July 10).

In a statement it said: "Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to continue to move northwards this evening, slowly dying out overnight. Many places will miss these, but where they do occur, there is the chance of some localised impacts from heavy rain, as well as damage from lightning strikes.

"A total of 10-20 mm of rain is possible in an hour or so, with some places potentially seeing 30 mm in a few hours."

The thunderstorm warning, which initially covered Wales and parts of western England, now includes nearly all of northern England, with lightning expected to accompany downpours into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

At the same time, a rain warning is in place for northern Scotland ahead of showers of up to 90mm. The thunderstorm warning in England includes Manchester, York and Newcastle upon Tyne.

A weather map shows heavy rain over parts of Scotland and northern England at 9pm on July 9

A weather map shows heavy rain over parts of Scotland and northern England at 9pm on July 9 (Image: WX Charts)

This map shows showers moving north over Scotland and the North of England at 3am on July 10

This map shows showers moving north over Scotland and the North of England at 3am on July 10 (Image: WX Charts)

Rainfall of 10-20mm is possible within an hour or so, with some places potentially seeing 30mm in a few hours, according to the forecaster.

The Met Office warned motorists are likely to experience delays to their journeys due to flooded roads and spray while some homes and businesses may also be at risk of flooding alongside a small chance of damage from lightning strikes.

Thunderstorms and heavy showers are expected to move northwards over the course of Tuesday evening, before slowly dying out overnight.

The yellow weather warning in northern Scotland comes as 90mm of rainfall is expected in the worst affected areas from 10pm on Tuesday (July 9) until 11.59pm on Wednesday.

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The Met Office said widespread rainfall of 20-30mm is forecast, though this could reach 50-75mm in areas which experience heavier bursts of rain.

It warned those in affected areas, including Angus, Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands, should expect difficult driving conditions because of flooding and spray, with the possibility some communities could be cut off by flooded roads.

The forecaster added there was a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater which could cause a danger to life. There is also a chance train and bus services may have to be cancelled.

A full list of the areas affected by the rain and thunderstorm warnings can be found below.

This map shows the places with a greater storm risk as of midnight tonight