Thunderstorms and heavy rain are anticipated across the UK in the upcoming days, while temperatures are expected to remain high. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for much of England, highlighting potential risks of sudden flooding, travel disruptions, and power outages from Friday evening into Saturday.
Two distinct warnings have been issued: the first applies to most of England from 9pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday, and the second affects parts of the East Midlands, North East England, and Yorkshire and the Humber from 12pm to 8pm on Friday.
The Met Office has warned that heavy rainfall could lead to spray and flooding that may cause road closures and isolate certain communities, with lightning poses a risk of damaging buildings. According to Sky weather producer Joanna Robinson, thundery rain will move in from France on Friday night, advancing across much of England on Saturday and reaching Scotland later in the day. Some areas may experience torrential rain, accumulating 30mm in less than an hour, and isolated locations might see up to 60-90mm of rain in under three hours.
The current dry conditions could exacerbate the risk of flash flooding, as the hard ground fails to absorb the sudden downpours. Despite the anticipated rain, temperatures are projected to remain in the high 20s across much of England.
Robinson also noted that the unsettled weather will persist into Sunday and early next week, with further weather warnings likely as details become clearer. While the rainy conditions may be challenging, there are indications that high pressure could emerge from the west by Wednesday, potentially leading to improved weather conditions.
Interestingly, this wet weather follows a notably dry start to the year for England, marked by the driest conditions since 1976. In June, overall rainfall was 20% below the long-term average, coinciding with two heatwaves that intensified demand for water, according to the Environment Agency. With national reservoir levels standing at 75.6% and still declining, several regions have declared droughts, prompting hosepipe bans that affect millions of households, including new restrictions from Yorkshire Water as its reservoir levels dropped to 53.8%.
In a hopeful turn, experts indicate that the new rainfall could help replenish water reserves and improve the overall water situation across the country.