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Thunderstorm warning issued as parts of England and Wales face weekend deluge

Heavy rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms are set to hit parts of England and Wales on Saturday, with forecasters warning of possible disruption.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office, coming into effect at 9am and lasting until 6pm.

Forecasters said the weekend will bring frequent heavy showers – some thundery – with a chance of hail and strong winds.

Up to 40mm of rain could fall in just a few hours, which is more than England saw during the entire month of May.

Met Office data shows England recorded 32.8mm of rain last month – almost half the usual monthly average.

Dan Suri, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of Saturday, before they fade from the west during the mid-to-late afternoon.

“It’s possible that 10-15mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, while some places could see 30-40mm of rain over several hours from successive showers and thunderstorms.

“Frequent lightning, hail and strong, gusty winds are also possible.”

He added: “While brisk winds ensure that most places in the warning area will be hit by showers, not all places will see thunderstorms.

“In this case it’s difficult to predict where exactly thunderstorms will hit because they are small and fast changing.

“One analogy we use to picture the complexity of this forecasting challenge is comparing it to boiling a pan of water and having to guess exactly where and when the bubbles will appear.

“We know some will, but only in certain places, and that is why thunderstorms are so hard to predict.”

Conditions are expected to improve on Sunday, with a drier day forecast for many, though showers may linger in parts of the north and east.

Published: 07/06/2025 by Radio NewsHub