Met Office weather: Thunderstorm warning is extended into Monday

Sunday’s forecast saw a yellow warning across England, the Welsh borders and - eventually - southern Scotland. However, while some heavy rain was reported - notably in Dorset where about an inch (25mm) came down. But elsewhere, in the south and the south east, it was a warm day in the mid to high 20s, with some places recording 30C.

The forecast for Sunday had been quite uncertain, with meteorologists saying that some areas could get as much as three inches (80mm) of rain in an hour, but that it was hard to determine where.

And a similar forecast has been made for Monday, running up to midnight. Between 30mm and 40mm of rain could fall in an hour widely, and in local areas between 60mm and 80mm of rain could be seen, potentially sparking flash flooding, the Met Office said. The area covered the yellow warning has been extended into East Anglia.

Marco Petagna, senior operational meteorologist, said the thunderstorms are due to “low pressure sitting over the UK”.

He said: “There’s a risk of heavy showers which could be thundery in places, especially central and eastern parts of the UK.”

Flooding, lightning strikes, travel delays and cancellations are possible and there is also a slight chance of power cuts, Mr Petagna added.

On Monday the temperatures are set to reach 25C, again in the south east, and it will feel colder towards the north and west, Mr Petagna said. Tuesday and Wednesday are forecast to see lighter and more scattered showers and sunshine but from Thursday onwards thunderstorms are again expected in the south.