The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms covering large parts of England and Wales on Monday, 12 May. The warning will be in effect from 12 pm until 10 pm, spanning a total of 10 hours.
According to the forecaster, scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop in the afternoon and continue into the evening, potentially causing flooding and travel disruption in some areas. The warning does not include Greater Manchester, but many other regions are covered.
In a statement, the Met Office said: “Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop on Monday afternoon. Whilst these will be fairly fast-moving, rain may be intense for short periods of time and produce 20–30mm in less than an hour, with 40–50mm possible within 1–2 hours in places where storms grow larger.”
Additional risks include lightning strikes, hail, and gusty winds. The Met Office has advised that conditions should begin to ease as the evening progresses.
The warning may lead to localised flooding, especially where heavy rainfall accumulates in a short time. Road closures, public transport delays and power cuts are also possible in areas affected by the most severe weather.
The following areas are fully or partially covered by the yellow warning:
East Midlands:
- Northamptonshire
East of England:
- Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Thurrock
London and South East England:
- Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Surrey, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham
North West England:
- Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester
South West England:
- Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire
West Midlands:
- Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire
Wales:
- Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham
Residents in the affected areas are advised to check local forecasts and remain alert for potential weather-related disruption.
