Met Office issues yellow weather warning from Southampton to Brighton as thunderstorms expected

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for much of the South East, as thunderstorms are expected to hit the region tomorrow (Friday 18 August).

Storms are expected from 6am until 12pm and meteorologists are warning some localised disruption is possible.

Whilst most places will only see a short period of heavy rain, a few places may see 30-40 mm of rain in less than 2 hours.

In addition to heavy rain, some thunderstorms may produce frequent lightning, the Met Office said.

The forecaster says there is a 'good chance' driving conditions will be affected by spray and standing water, which could lead to longer driving times.

It has warned that is a chance of flooding to homes and businesses, due to periods of heavy rainfall.

Lightning strikes may also affect power supplies, as well as cause some damage to buildings and structures.

Public transport may also be affected, it said.

Speaking in the Met Office’s YouTube series 10 Day Trend, Aidan McGivern said: “There’s an area of low-pressure to the west. This will orientate with the high pressure and will waft in some warmer air from the south in the next few days.

“Another area of low-pressure heads towards the UK at the start of Friday. The instability in the atmosphere will create a line of showers or even some thunderstorms and there could be some heavy downpours moving through central parts of the UK, though there is some uncertainty on the distribution.

“Where we do get some breaks in the cloud on Friday, it will still be a fairly warm day, though temperatures won’t be exceptional, and it will feel quite humid because of this southerly airflow.”

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