Extreme warnings of thunderstorms and heavy torrential rain are forecasted for both England and Wales in weather that could potentially cause sudden flooding.
According to the Met Office, they have issued a yellow weather warning for Wednesday and have expected to witness hail and lightning.
While people in some areas in England and Wales are warned that disruption to travel could occur alongside power cuts, the public in Scotland must also brace for the extreme weather after the country was also issued a yellow weather warning with heavy rain also forecasted.
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While the heavy rain is unlikely to help the drought conditions the UK are currently experiencing, Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, expanded on the dangers that the public could face with the forecast of heavy rain.
(Image: Met Office)
“The ground is really dry and when it is so dry it acts a little bit like concrete and that water can’t get in so it drains straight off,” she said.
“There is the damage to homes and businesses these floods can cause, and inconvenience with transport disruptions, but if it is very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous.”
Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office meteorologist said the public must stay tuned in to the latest developments of the weather warnings.
“We’ll see some very heavy showers develop over the coming days, hail, frequent lightning, some flash flooding is possible like we’ve seen in places so our advice is to stay tuned to latest forecasts and local radio stations as well, to get the latest information,” he urged.
(Image: John Myers)
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There is a possibility of intense rainfall which could see values of at least 50mm in a two or three-hour period in a few places.
Dan Suri, the Met Office’s chief forecaster, said the heatwave that the UK experienced this past weekend will be replaced with “heavy showers, thunderstorms and torrential downpours”.
He added: “Although not all places will be affected, where thunderstorms occur there is the potential to for very large rainfall totals, but when that heavy rain is falling on extremely dry ground, the risk of flash flooding is much more pronounced.
“Particular areas of cautions are low-lying stretches of road and those areas adjoining sloping fields where water can quickly run off, creating fast-emerging hazards.”
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