Thunderstorms are expected to hit parts of the UK on Friday as yellow weather warnings come into force.
Heavy downpours are likely across much of the country as the Met Office issued thunderstorm warnings for much of England heading into the weekend.
The forecaster has warned of a risk of flash flooding and lightning strikes causing transport delays and power cuts.
Temperatures are expected to remain high, topping 30C in parts of central and southern England on Friday, with high levels of humidity expected.
The warnings are in place from 9pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday.
During that time, parts of north-east England such as Durham, Middlesbrough and Yorkshire could see up to 25mm of rain in less than an hour, as well as frequent lightning and large hail.
In the south, rain is predicted to be torrential, with up to 30mm falling in less than an hour, and 90mm in less than three hours in certain places.
Gusty winds, frequent lightning and hail are also likely.
Met Office forecasters warn that spray and flooding could lead to difficulties for drivers, possible road closures, and the risk that some communities may become cut off as a result.
It'll be a warm and muggy night ahead, with temperatures tomorrow reaching up to 30°C in the southeast of England🌡️ pic.twitter.com/DEmHnEcbvS
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 17, 2025
Damage to homes and businesses is also possible from adverse weather conditions.
On Sunday, widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue, moving northwards throughout the day.
But parts of the UK will also experience warm weather and brighter, drier spells on Friday and throughout the weekend, particularly in east and south-east England.
Alex Burkill, a meteorologist at the Met Office, warned that the high temperatures could become “quite uncomfortable” in some parts of the country.
He said: “In the south and east, there is further chance of staying dry and some decent sunshine on offer.
“So there’s a lot of heat around, high humidity as well, quite uncomfortable for some of us.
“As we go into the weekend, with the heat and the humidity, there’s a fairly strong chance that we are going to see some heavy, thundery rain, feeding up from the south.
“That is likely to become pretty widespread across much of the country as we go through Saturday and into Sunday.”
Next week is expected to continue to have unsettled weather, with a mixture of showers and thunderstorms and sunshine.
Temperatures will be warm depending on the sunshine and conditions may settle by mid-week with showers still in the east.
