The West Country is facing thunder, lightning and rainstorms throughout the weekend and into Monday amid yellow weather warnings from The Met Office. Parts of the region have already been hit with downpours and thunderstorms as Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire battle through a very wet and stormy weekend.
The Met Office warned that 20-40 mm could fall in less than an hour, with a small chance of isolated build-ups of of 50-80 mm over a few hours. Flooding, lightning strikes, hail, power cuts and challenging driving conditions are all potential risks.
The thunderstorm warning is in place until midnight tonight, Saturday, September 21. There is a weather warning for heavy rain that is in place all day tomorrow, Sunday, September 21, and on Monday, September 22, across Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
The Met Office suggests there could even be a danger to life in fast flowing or deep floodwater. The yellow warning indicates that there is a low likelihood and a medium impact, however, people being are urged to keep up to date with the weather forecast so they are prepared.
What to expect?
- Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
- Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
- Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
- Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds
- Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life
- Some communities might become cut off if roads flood
The Met Office said: “Whilst there is some uncertainty in the details, scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop across parts of southern England and spread northwestwards through Saturday morning before showers develop more widely later in the day.
“While much of the time it will be dry, with not all places seeing showers or storms, where they do occur 20-40 mm could fall in less than an hour, with a small chance of isolated accumulations of 50-80 mm over the course of a few hours. In addition, hail and frequent lightning may accompany the most intense storms, especially during Saturday afternoon and evening in parts of the Midlands, western England and east Wales.”