UK thunderstorm map shows exact spots to be swamped in huge weekend downpours

Brits are set to be battered by heavy rain, strong winds, lightning and hail today with maps showing the areas worst affected.

After a spell of sunshine and blue skies, a low pressure system is bringing stormy conditions for parts of the UK today and through the weekend. While it is expected to remain fine in the north, southern areas will be hit by intense rainfall starting this afternoon with a Met Office yellow warning in place from midday until 8pm this evening.

There are further yellow warnings in place for thunderstorms on Saturday, throughout the day, and then for rain all day on Sunday. Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin looking at Friday afternoon said: “Now the very nature of thunderstorms is that they are hit and miss. So not everywhere in this warning area will catch a downpour but when they do occur they could cause some problems.

"A lot of spray, a lot of surface water on the roads so bear that in mind if you’re travelling this evening. Parts of the M4 and the M5 especially, hailstones and a lot of lightning expected from these storms during the day.”

READ MORE: Met Office issues thunderstorm warning with hail and lightning feared - all 71 areas affected

The yellow warning for Saturday states: “Whilst some places will remain dry, thunderstorms and heavy showers could cause some disruption on Saturday in a few places.” There is a wider area affected than on Saturday with a Met Office map showing the warning covering East Midlands, the East of England, London and the South East, North West England, South West England, Wales and the West Midlands.

What should I expect?

• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• There is a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads
• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
• There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds
• There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life

Then on Sunday the rain will affect East Midlands, the East of England, London and the South East, the North West of England, South West England, Wales and the West Midlands.

"As the high pressure, which has bought the recent spell of settled weather, pulls away to the north the weather turns wetter, particularly for the southern half of the UK," states the Met Office. "Friday and the weekend will see heavy showers and thunderstorms develop across southern areas. Yellow National Severe Weather Warnings for thunderstorms have been issued for both Friday and Saturday."

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Neil Armstrong, said: ““Thundery downpours are expected to develop in places across the south on Friday afternoon bringing frequent lightning, gusty winds, hail, and spells of heavy rain. The risk of thunderstorms persists into Saturday with potentially longer spells of heavy rain for some along with a continued risk of hail and lightning accompanying the most intense storms, particularly in parts of the Midlands, southern England and east Wales during Saturday afternoon and evening.

“The warnings cover the areas of the country most at risk of seeing thunderstorms but not everyone within a warning area will experience a thunderstorm. For many much of the time it will remain dry.

“We are also expecting these showers to merge into longer spells of heavy rain on Sunday and Monday across some southern and central parts, and once the full details become clearer, we may well issue further severe weather warnings so keep up to date with the latest forecast for your area” This change to more unsettled weather will also see a downturn in temperatures, particularly as we go into next week.

Here is the full list of places affected by Saturday's yellow warning for thunderstorms.

East Midlands

• Derbyshire

• Leicester

• Leicestershire

• Northamptonshire

• Rutland

East of England

• Bedford

• Cambridgeshire

• Central Bedfordshire

• Hertfordshire

• Luton

London & South East England

• Bracknell Forest

• Buckinghamshire

• Hampshire

• Milton Keynes

• Oxfordshire

• Reading

• Slough

• Southampton

• Surrey

• West Berkshire

• Windsor and Maidenhead

• Wokingham

North West England

• Cheshire East

• Cheshire West and Chester

• Halton

• Merseyside

South West England

• Bath and North East Somerset

• Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole

• Bristol

• Cornwall

• Devon

• Dorset

• Gloucestershire

• Isles of Scilly

• North Somerset

• Plymouth

• Somerset

• South Gloucestershire

• Swindon

• Torbay

• Wiltshire

Wales

• Blaenau Gwent

• Bridgend

• Caerphilly

• Cardiff

• Carmarthenshire

• Ceredigion

• Conwy

• Denbighshire

• Flintshire

• Gwynedd

• Isle of Anglesey

• Merthyr Tydfil

• Monmouthshire

• Neath Port Talbot

• Newport

• Pembrokeshire

• Powys

• Rhondda Cynon Taf

• Swansea

• Torfaen

• Vale of Glamorgan

• Wrexham

West Midlands

• Herefordshire

• Shropshire

• Staffordshire

• Stoke-on-Trent

• Telford and Wrekin

• Warwickshire

• West Midlands Conurbation

• Worcestershire