Thunderstorm warning issued as heavy showers could cause flooding to homes and businesses

A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued for today as heavy showers are expected to cause flooding to some homes and businesses.

The Met Office warning covers much of the South East, the South West, the Midlands and the East and will be in place until 10pm.

Hail is also predicted and lightning strikes could cause damage to some buildings and structures, while short term loss of power is also likely in places.

A small number of homes and businesses could become flooded, especially in the South East where the heaviest rainfall is most likely, the Met Office said.

The rain could also cause train delays and longer car and bus journey times due to wet conditions, the forecaster added.

About 20 to 30mm of rain is predicted to fall within two to three hours in some areas, while a few places, especially across the South East, could have between 40 to 50mm.

The Met Office has said 40mph gusts could be felt in the areas covered by the warning.

There is also a yellow warning for rain in place across parts of Co Down and Co Armagh in Northern Ireland until 5pm Tuesday.

Parts of southeast Scotland and northeast England, which are not covered by the warning, may experience periods of heavy rain later on Tuesday through to Wednesday, the Met Office said.

The forecaster has also said weather warnings are possible until the middle of the week as more rain falls on already wet ground.

Meanwhile, Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said Tuesday looks set to be "a mix of sunshine and showers, but probably more showers" across the country.

Temperatures will struggle to get much above 10 to 12C but it will feel colder with the wind.

It may be brighter between the showers further south where temperatures could reach 18 to 19C ahead of more downpours and a gusty wind blowing across the south coast of England and into southern parts of Wales.

Mr Deakin said: "There is an area of low pressure just generating the showers and pushing northwards.

"Also there is this band of thick cloud sitting over northern England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland for much of the day with outbreaks of rain.

"Northern England should brighten up but then showers will move in here too.

"Not quite as damp over northern Scotland as it has been through Monday but still staying pretty grey here with those winds coming down from the north, that is going to bring a chill."

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The rest of the week looks unsettled, with less heavy and widespread rain and showers affecting most areas at times.

Temperatures are set to dip from Wednesday in the North with all areas experiencing below average temperatures from Thursday.

Night frosts are expected for some regions, and snow is possible for the higher mountains of Scotland, the Met Office said.

It comes after thundery showers on brought big downpours in some places on Monday, surface water on the roads and lightning and hail as an extra hazard, he said.

(c) Sky News 2024: Thunderstorm warning issued as heavy showers could cause flooding to homes and businesses