UK weather forecast: 50mph winds to batter Britain as Met Office issues severe warning for thunderstorms

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and gusty winds up to 50mph will batter much of England and Wales today (20 October), as forecasters warn of severe conditions.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued for large swathes of the country until midday on Wednesday, with disruption to travel expected.

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What has the Met Office said?

Wales and much of England will be showered by heavy rain and thunderstorms this morning, with the affected regions warned to expect a chance of flooding, lightning strikes and strong winds.

The Met Office said: “An area of heavy rain and thunderstorms will move quickly eastwards across Wales and southwestern England into parts of central, southern and eastern England during Wednesday morning.

“Many areas will see a spell of rain whilst some places will be affected by thunderstorms bringing a brief period of heavy rain, lightning, and strong, gusty winds with hail also affecting some spots.

“Gusts will tend to peak at 40-50 mph, but whilst very unlikely in any one place, much stronger winds are possible here and there, then potentially damaging some structures.

The unsettled conditions may lead to sudden flooding in some areas, creating difficult diving conditions and road closures are likely.

The severe weather warning has been issued for the following areas:

East Midlands

• Derby
• Derbyshire
• Leicester
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Nottingham
• Nottinghamshire
• Rutland

East of England

• Bedford
• Cambridgeshire
• Central Bedfordshire
• Essex
• Hertfordshire
• Luton
• Norfolk
• Peterborough
• Suffolk

London and  South East England

• Buckinghamshire
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• Milton Keynes
• Oxfordshire
• Portsmouth
• Reading
• Southampton
• West Berkshire
• Windsor and Maidenhead
• Wokingham

North West England

• Cheshire East
• Cheshire West and Chester
• Halton
• Merseyside
• Warrington

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

What is the forecast for the rest of the week?

Conditions will be mostly windy and unsettling for much of Wednesday, particularly in Wales, south west and central England.

Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and the far north of England should stay mostly dry, although temperatures will likely be a lot cooler in northern parts.

Heavy rain and coastal gales are forecast in southern England on Wednesday evening, while Scotland will also be hit by rain showers and wind.

Temperatures are forecast to be much chillier across the whole of the UK on Thursday (21 October), especially in the north of the country.

Strong winds and gales will affect the far north east and rain is forecast for northern and western areas.

The cold weather will continue into Friday (22 October) and conditions will remain mostly dry and breezy for much of the country, although some scattered showers could fall in the north.

The weather should remain dry heading into the weekend, although rain is expected in parts, with the northwest forecast to have the wettest conditions on Sunday (24 October), including a risk of thunderstorms.

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