Dramatic thunderstorms rolled in overnight, with Greater Manchester residents being woken up with 2am flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.
The stormy weather looks set to continue as weather forecasters warn more thunderstorms will come in again later today (June 18). A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office.
The north west will remain unsettled today with a ‘continued risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms developing through the afternoon’, the forecaster has said. ‘Outside of showers, some warm, sunny spells’, it continued.
Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link
The Met Office has also said there could be light winds, though perhaps gusty in any heavy downpours, with a maximum temperature of 24 °C. The weather will then turn cloudy through the evening with showers merging into longer spells of heavy rain and perhaps turning thundery at times.
It will then become drier overnight with some clear spells developing. There will be a minimum temperature of 14 °C.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Almond said: “Over the weekend we’ll be transitioning to a more unsettled regime for the UK, though temperatures will remain high and it’ll feel very humid for many.
“Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to become more frequent and impactful through the weekend, with the potential for associated hail, lightning and some gusty winds. The risk of thundery downpours initially starts in the far west on Friday afternoon, but spreads more widely through the weekend, resulting in the warning the Met Office has issued.
“There’s an ongoing likelihood of further warnings being issued and revised in the coming days, so keep an eye on the forecast for the latest outlook.”
Though details are still being determined on the positioning of the heaviest thundery downpours, some places within the yellow warning area could see in excess of 30mm of rainfall within an hour, while some could see around 60mm over a six hour period on Sunday. However, due to the nature of these thunderstorms, some places will see much lower rainfall amounts, or even manage to avoid them altogether.
Sarah Cook, National Flood Duty Manager at the said: “On Sunday afternoon and into the night, slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to localised surface water flooding across England.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding. We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at https://www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
