New thunderstorm warnings issued by Met Office as forecaster warns of hail, floods and lightning strikes

17 September 2023, 11:56

London and swathes of the southern UK face being battered by hail and strong winds as the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings.

The Met Office has added a new warning after issuing an alert for South West England and southern Wales, which lasts until 6pm on Sunday.

It is now cautioning that the rest of the south coast of England, the South East, the East of England and parts of the East Midlands will face thunder too.

The weather service warned there is a small chance homes and businesses "could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds" and flood water could cause a danger to life.

It said: "Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

"There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

"Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Read more: UK to be blasted by thunderstorms over the weekend as spell of warm weather comes to an end

"There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life."

While the South West's yellow warning is due to expire by 6pm, the second warning for the south and east of England will last until 6am on Monday.

The Met Office had predicted the South West could see up to 70mm of rain within just a few hours in some parts, just shy of the average September amount of 92mm.

It comes after a record amount of September heat.

This month smashed the UK record for the most amount of consecutive September days that saw at least 30C heat.

Previously, just three days of heat at that level had been recorded four times - in 1898, 1906, 1911 and 2016.