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Daily Mirror

National

Claire Gilbody-Dickerson

Met Office issues yellow warning for thunderstorms lasting 11 hours today

While most Brits have been able to enjoy highs of 32C during an unprecedented heatwave this week, some areas of England are set for thunderstorms that could last up to 11 hours.

The Met Office issued an amber warning for three different regions in England as they warned Brits up and down the country to ready for heavy rainfall, floods and thunderstorms.

The warning will last from 1pm to midnight on Tuesday and affects the East Midlands, the East of England, London and the south east of England and the West Midlands.

The forecaster warned the downpours could cause disruption to travel while flooding to home and business may happen "quickly".

Floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds could also cause damage to some buildings, while some areas could see 30-60mm of rainfall in just one or two hours .

Beaches packed as Brits enjoy the hot weather (PA)

The amber warning for rain has been issued alongside one for extreme heat, the first such warning ever issued by the Met.

The Extreme Heath Warning, which is issued with public health partners across the UK, covers a large part of Wales, all of southwest England and parts of southern and central England.

It has now also been extended to Northern Ireland from Wednesday morning through to midnight on Friday as temperatures could reach 33C.

It comes as the forecast continues to show unusually high temperatures - particularly for western areas, and after Sunday was recorded as the hottest day of the year in England and Wales

Scorching temperatures over the weekend and on Monday saw Brits flocking to beaches and parks on Freedom Day, when almost all lockdown rules effectively came to an end 18 months after first being imposed.

With the next few days set for highs of 33C, an amber warning was issued to state that high temperatures throughout the day and night could lead to a number of adverse health effects.

According to the NHS, side effects of too much exposure to heat can cause a headache, dizziness and confusion, loss of appetite and feeling sick.

You may also get fast breathing or pulse and a high temperature of 38C or above.

Met Office Principal Operational Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: “Although the UK is predominantly very warm and hot at the moment, as is referenced with our extreme heat warning, there is a risk of some locally intense thundery downpours developing across parts of England this afternoon.

"These could be torrential in places across central and southeast England bringing a risk of some localised flooding.

“Although the heavy rain will miss most places, where the rain does fall it will be heavy and bring with it the risk of hail, thunder and lightning.

“The yellow warning for thunderstorms will be in place until midnight on Tuesday, but there remains a risk of further afternoon thunderstorms through to the end of the week.”

Below is a full list of all the areas affected:

East Midlands