Thunderstorm warning issued for Bedfordshire ahead of unsettled weekend

The Yellow National Severe Weather Warning will come into effect at 9am and covers parts of central and southern England and Wales.

Saturday, June 7, is expected to be a very showery day, with frequent heavy showers, some thundery with gusty winds and hail.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Dan Suri said: “Frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of Saturday, before they fade from the west during the mid-to-late afternoon. “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. Frequent lightning, hail, and strong, gusty winds are also possible.”

Driving conditions will be affected by the weather – with motorists told to expect longer journey times due to spray and standing water.

The heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to some disruption to transport and infrastructure. The Met Office warned of the chance that there would be “some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes”.

And those travelling by train should also be braced for delays.

Dan continued: “A yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued and covers parts of central and southern England and Wales. While brisk winds ensure that most places in the warning area will be hit by showers, not all places will see thunderstorms. In this case it’s difficult to predict where exactly thunderstorms will hit because they are small and fast changing.

“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.”