Swathes of the UK have been told to brace for storms, with lightning, hail, and heavy rain expected to sweep across the country.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms across southwest England, London, southeast England, Wales, the West Midlands and northwest England.

The warnings, which predict thunderstorms will develop leading to disruption, are in place from midday until 10pm.

Issuing the warning the Met Office said: ‘Heavy showers will develop through the morning with isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening.

‘These will bring the potential for lightning, hail and heavy rain, with a few places seeing 10-20 mm of rain within an hour and a small chance of 40 mm in two to three hours.

‘Showers are likely to weaken over parts of Wales and the southwest of England during Thursday evening but will persist longer in parts of central England and the Midlands.’

The bad weather could cause problems for the Wimbledon Championships which kicked off on Monday.

Competitors scheduled to play on the SW19 competition’s uncovered courts could see matches postponed if the heavens open.

Thunderstorms can occur at any time of the year but are more common during the summer months.

The weather can have very localised effects, particularly with amounts of rainfall, which can make driving difficult.

One of the many myths surrounding thunderstorms is that lightning never strikes in the same place twice or that it always strikes the tallest object.

Both are untrue, with lightning finding the best conductor to the ground – whether it has been struck before or not.

Lightning can cause power surges and the Met Office advises unplugging non-essential appliances if a surge protector is not already in use.

If you’re outside when a storm hits seek shelter, avoid water and find a low-lying open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles or metal objects.

Unless it’s an emergency it’s also wise to avoid using landline phones as telephone lines can conduct electricity.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article