Heavy rain and thunderstorms across much of England and parts of Wales could bring flooding, damage to buildings and hazardous driving conditions, the Met Office has warned.
UK yellow warnings have been issued on Sunday for an area stretching from Whitby in North Yorkshire and taking in eastern England, most of the Midlands, southern England from Kent to Devon and south-east Wales.
The Met Office meteorologist Rebecca Hudson said the risks were confined mostly to central and southern England.
Heavy rain was moving northwards through the day, meteorologists said, bringing “a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds”.
Any flooding or lightning strikes bring the possibility of travel delays with cancellations to train and bus services.
“There is a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads,” the Met Office warns. Spray and sudden flooding could lead to “difficult driving conditions and some road closures,” the warning adds.
In the West Midlands, heavy downpours led to the closure of sliproads on the M5 and M6. The region’s fire service warned: “Slow down while driving and never drive through flood water – it may be deeper than you think. Stay safe out there.”
The Met Office tweeted advice about driving in heavy thunderstorms. This included keeping your speed down, giving other road users more room and pulling over in hailstorms.
Police forces also used social media to warn people to be careful, with West Midlands officers posting pictures of a flooded road in Smethwick.
The 25-hour yellow weather warning is in place until 5am Monday.
The heavy rain followed a mild, sunny day for large parts of the UK on Saturday.
Looking ahead, Hudson said: “There will be some heavier showers overnight on Sunday into Monday, but these will gradually weaken and then Monday will be a lot drier with some sunny spells.”
