Overview
- Late on Wednesday the Met Office issued a fresh yellow thunderstorm warning covering 42 local areas for 00:00–04:00 on Thursday as storms tracked across England and Wales.
- Earlier on Wednesday a separate yellow warning had covered 38 areas for about 15:00–23:00 before the forecaster updated the timing and expanded the footprint as conditions evolved.
- The Met Office says the storms could produce frequent lightning, heavy downpours, hail and strong gusts that raise the chance of flash flooding, damage and short-term power cuts.
- Charities and health agencies including the British Red Cross, citing CDC guidance on lightning, advise households to unplug non-essential appliances, avoid using plumbing and seek a safe enclosed shelter away from trees.
- Impacts will be patchy so many places may miss the worst weather but where storms occur expect delayed journeys, possible property flooding and brief infrastructure disruption driven by intense, convective downpours.