wiredesk

Met Office issues thunderstorm and flood warnings across UK after record dry summer

· Environment GBR

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and flooding across large parts of the UK on Wednesday and Thursday, with up to 50mm of rain possible in some areas and more than 75mm over east-facing higher ground.

The warnings cover parts of east Wales, the Midlands, northern England, East Anglia, and southern England including London, where a band of heavy showers and thunderstorms is expected to hit the capital on Wednesday morning. Rainfall rates of 20-30mm in less than an hour are possible, with hail of around 1-2cm also forecast. The storms are expected to drift northwards from France.

The downpours follow an exceptionally dry period. July 2026 was the driest month since records began in 1836 in England and Wales, and 70 per cent of England and Wales is currently in drought. London has experienced one of its driest summers on record, with hosepipe bans declared and wildfires breaking out amid the conditions.

Covered by 3 outlets in United Kingdom

Sources

The reporting this story is built on

bbc.co.uk GBR UK weather: Met Office issues yellow weather warnings for thunderstormsindependent.co.uk GBR Mapped: Where thunderstorms could hit UK this weekstandard.co.uk GBR Thunderstorm warning for London as weather alert issued with capital at risk of flooding

Related stories

UK raises heat alerts to amber as wildfire warnings intensify across southern England The UK Health Security Agency escalated heat-health alerts to amber for London, the South East, East Midlands and East of England from Tuesday morning through T… Wessex Water imposes first hosepipe ban in 50 years as rain fails to ease drought across northern Europe Wessex Water imposed a hosepipe ban on Tuesday across Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire — its first restrictions in 50 years — as drought officials confirmed… Drought declared across more than half of England after driest July on record The Environment Agency declared drought across more than half of England on Wednesday, with seven regions affected as the country endures its driest July on rec… UK weighs ban on disposable barbecues as heatwave and drought push wildfire risk to record levels Britain is considering a ban on disposable barbecues as an unprecedented heatwave and widening drought drive a surge in wildfires across England and Wales. Near… UK water companies impose hosepipe bans as heatwave shatters temperature records Anglian Water has introduced its first hosepipe ban in a decade, restricting domestic use for more than 5 million customers across the East of England from earl… Thames Water imposes hosepipe ban for millions as England endures driest July Thames Water will impose a hosepipe ban on 10.1 million customers from 12:01 AM on 24 July, as prolonged heat and scarce rainfall push much of England toward dr…