The Met Office has issued a “yellow” thunderstorm warning for much of southern England on Monday, with forecasters warning of up to eight hours of rain.
The warning from 4pm to 11.59pm covers a swathe of southern England, including commuter hotspots in East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, and Devon.
Delays to train services are possible, as well as to motor journeys due to flooded roads, the warning states.
Some flooding of a few homes and businesses is “possible”, said forecasters, as is some short term loss of power in the affected area.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Some places will see 20-30mm of rain within 2-3 hours, with a small chance that a few places could receive 40mm.
“Thunderstorms are most likely for south-facing coastal districts, and hail and some strong gusts of wind could accompany the heaviest showers and thunderstorms.”
⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 7, 2024
Thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales
Monday 16:00 - 23:59
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfS950
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/UfzuCrcFiZ
Parts of southern Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea are also affected by the warning.
The heavy rain and storms should clear overnight into Tuesday, said the Met Office.
On Monday, the Environment Agency had 24 flood alerts in place for England, four of which were graded as flooding “expected”.
While London is expected to escape the worst of the weather, the capital will still see “heavy showers changing to sunny intervals in the afternoon” throughout Monday.
Daytime highs of 18C are expected, while the lows will reach 13C, forecasters said.
The Met Office predicted: “Variable cloud and sunny spells at first, perhaps a few showers in the southeast, but these likely easing.
“By the afternoon, more widespread showers developing, heavy and with a risk of thunder. These easing again during the evening.”
Sunny spells and heavy showers are also expected on Tuesday as the storm makes its way across the country.
