Parts of the North East could be hit by thunderstorms, weather forecasters have warned.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, running between 1pm and 9pm on Monday, and it says areas including Northumberland and Durham could be affected.
A spokesperson added: "Heavy showers and thunderstorms will break out this afternoon before slowly fading this evening.
"Whilst not all places will be affected by these shower and thunderstorms, where they do occur torrential downpours are possible.
"Around 15mm to 25mm rain may fall in an hour in some places whilst a few spots could see 30mm to 40mm rain in two or three hours. Frequent lightning is possible and a few places may see some hail."
The North East had a dull and cloudy start to Monday, with patchy mist burning back towards coastal areas.
Forecasters said there was a chance of rain but warm sunny spells were set to develop, especially inland, as well as isolated showers.
Temperatures were predicted to be between 12C and 17C, though it would stay murky for some coastal and northern parts of the region.
The warning for thunderstorms was sent out on Monday morning, and was also set to affect areas in the North West and Yorkshire.
This follows a week of wet and cloudy weather across the North East. Last week, many parts of the region experienced heavy showers.
