Extreme weather alert: Flash flooding and lightening strike warning hits the UK

The UK is set to be hit by major thunderstorms as the Met Office revealed that as much as 35mm of rain fell in an hour near Sheffield.

As reported by The Guardian, half a month’s worth of rain fell in an hour on Sunday, June 18. The UK has only had 12 days' worth of rain so far in the month of June, which is around 77mm.

It is believed that the weather is going to get worse in the coming days, with the Met Office issuing two yellow thunderstorm warnings in the country. Here is what you can expect in the coming days.

England and Wales under thunderstorm warnings

The Met Office has put out two thunderstorm warnings in the UK, one for the whole of Wales, and a major part of England and another covering Cumbria as well as southern and central Scotland. Northern Ireland has also been warned of the extreme weather.

For most parts of the country, the warnings are until noon today, June 19. Jonathan Vautrey, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency on June 18:

Some places could see 40mm to 60mm of rain, even 80mm in some places, which is more than half a month's worth of rainfall depending on where you are.

That could cause some sudden flooding spray on roads which could cause some difficult travelling conditions over the next 24 hours.

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Flash floods caused major disruptions

As expected, the major downpour caused a lot of disruption in the country. Indeed the rain caused the first Ashes Test in Birmingham to be postponed. Moreover, The Guardian reports that rescues had taken place in Yorkshire due to the flooding.

The Met Office also warned that power cuts could occur and that delays on train and bus lines are to be expected. The major downfall of rain has caused the hosepipe ban to be lifted.

Sources used:

The Guardian: ‘Flood warnings issued for England as parts of the north are deluged’

Daily Mail: ‘Put away the BBQ! Met Office issues weather warning for thunderstorms, lightning strikes and flash flooding across the whole of the UK today’

Sky News: ‘UK weather: Met Office warn flash floods and thunderstorms could hit parts of England and Wales on Sunday’