Yellow warning issued for Thunderstorms

The Met Office have issued an updated yellow warning for thunderstorms from 00:00 Wednesday to 23:59 Thursday for the following areas:

    Darlington
    Durham
    Gateshead
    Hartlepool
    Middlesbrough
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    North Tyneside
    Northumberland
    Redcar and Cleveland
    South Tyneside
    Stockton-on-Tees
    Sunderland

Whilst there is some uncertainty, thunderstorms may affect southeast England during the early hours of Thursday, perhaps also extending into parts of East Anglia.

Where these occur, rain accumulations of 25-40 mm are possible in 1 hour, with a small risk of over 60mm in 2-3 hours, and accompanied by frequent lightning at times.

Elsewhere, an area of showery rain is likely to develop and move northeastwards across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England. This will be heavy and perhaps thundery at times, persisting through Thursday morning before easing towards midday. Some areas could receive rain accumulations of 25-50 mm over the course of a few hours.

Scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms are then expected to develop through Thursday afternoon and evening across parts of central, southern and eastern England, and perhaps also south Wales. These have the potential to produce 50 mm or more in 1-2 hours, along with gusty winds, large hail, and the risk of surface water flooding.