Met Office thunderstorm warning: Heavy rain forecast across England and Wales this weekend

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place from 9am to 6pm on Saturday (June 7), with forecasters predicting widespread heavy showers, strong winds and the risk of hail.

“Frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of Saturday, before they fade from the west during the mid-to-late afternoon,” said Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri.

“It’s possible that 10-15mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, while some places could see 30-40mm of rain over several hours from successive showers and thunderstorms,” he added. “Frequent lightning, hail, and strong, gusty winds are also possible.”

The amount of rainfall expected in some areas could exceed what was recorded across the entire month of May. Met Office figures show England had just 32.8mm of rain last month – nearly half of the usual monthly average.

Suri explained: “While brisk winds ensure that most places in the warning area will be hit by showers, not all places will see thunderstorms. One analogy we use to picture the complexity of this forecasting challenge is comparing it to boiling a pan of water and having to guess exactly where and when the bubbles will appear. We know some will, but only in certain places, and that is why thunderstorms are so hard to predict.”

The warning covers much of central and southern England and parts of Wales.

Sunday is expected to offer some respite, with drier conditions forecast for most areas. Showers may linger in the north and east early on, but forecasters say many places will enjoy clear and sunny spells throughout the day.