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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Estel Farell-Roig

UK weather: Thunderstorm warning with 'torrential rain' sparks flood fears after drought

A yellow weather warning for widespread thunderstorms has been extended into Tuesday by the Met Office.

While Monday's thunderstorm warning covers large parts of the UK, the one that has been issued for Tuesday only covers large parts of England - excluding the South East, London, Norfolk and Suffolk - and all of Wales.

The Met Office warning indicates that some places are "likely to see thunderstorms with torrential rain" and warns that disruption is possible.

This could include sudden flooding to properties and roads.

The forecasting service also says there is a "slight chance" that power cuts could occur and that trains and buses could be hit with delays and cancellations as a result of the weather.

The area covered by Tuesday's warning for thunderstorm (Met Office)

The new warning - which is in place for 24 hours from midnight on Tuesday - states: " While some places stay dry, others are likely to see thunderstorms with torrential rain during Tuesday, bringing possible disruption.

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

"There is a chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

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

The thunderstorms will follow an "extreme heat" amber weather warning (PA)

"There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater.

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

An experiment from Dr Rob Thompson from the University of Reading showed how flash floods can follow a drought when there is heavy rainfall.

The short video demonstrates how long it takes for water to soak into parched ground.

In the clip, he puts a cup of water on wet grass, another on normal summer grass and a third one on grass after a heatwave.

In comparison to wet and normal grass, the cup on the grass after the heatwave hardly absorbs any water.

The thunderstorm warnings come after a drought was declared in eight areas of England yesterday (August 13).

Spectators shelter from the heavy rain as play is disrupted on day two of Wimbledon in 2021 (PA)

Various parts of the UK have also been hit with hosepipe bans as regional water companies struggle to cope with the lack of rain.

Regions and local authorities affected by the latest yellow warning

There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur (PA)

East Midlands

  • Derby
  • Derbyshire
  • Leicester
  • Leicestershire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Northamptonshire
  • Nottingham
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Rutland

East of England

  • Bedford
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Central Bedfordshire
  • Hertfordshire
  • Luton
  • Norfolk
  • Peterborough

London & South East England

  • Buckinghamshire
  • Hampshire
  • Milton Keynes
  • Oxfordshire
  • Reading
  • West Berkshire
  • Windsor and Maidenhead
  • Wokingham

North East England

  • Darlington
  • Durham
  • Gateshead
  • Hartlepool
  • Middlesbrough
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • North Tyneside
  • Northumberland
  • Redcar and Cleveland
  • South Tyneside
  • Stockton-on-Tees
  • Sunderland
  • Parched grass surrounds signs in Hampshire earlier this month (PA)

North West England

  • Blackburn with Darwen
  • Blackpool
  • Cheshire East
  • Cheshire West and Chester
  • Cumbria
  • Greater Manchester
  • Halton
  • Lancashire
  • Merseyside
  • Warrington

South West England

  • Bath and North East Somerset
  • Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
  • Bristol
  • Cornwall
  • Devon
  • Dorset
  • Gloucestershire
  • Isles of Scilly
  • North Somerset
  • Plymouth
  • Somerset
  • South Gloucestershire
  • Swindon
  • Torbay
  • Wiltshire

Wales

  • Blaenau Gwent
  • Bridgend
  • Caerphilly
  • Cardiff
  • Carmarthenshire
  • Ceredigion
  • Conwy
  • Denbighshire
  • Flintshire
  • Gwynedd
  • Isle of Anglesey
  • Merthyr Tydfil
  • Monmouthshire
  • Neath Port Talbot
  • Newport
  • Pembrokeshire
  • Powys
  • Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Swansea
  • Torfaen
  • Vale of Glamorgan
  • Wrexham
  • Heavy rain is being predicted to follow the heatwave (PA)

West Midlands

  • Herefordshire
  • Shropshire
  • Staffordshire
  • Stoke-on-Trent
  • Telford and Wrekin
  • Warwickshire
  • West Midlands Conurbation
  • Worcestershire

Yorkshire & Humber

  • East Riding of Yorkshire
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • North East Lincolnshire
  • North Lincolnshire
  • North Yorkshire
  • South Yorkshire
  • West Yorkshire
  • York
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