The Met Office has issued a swathe of warnings for Thursday, Friday and Saturday across the UK. Thunderstorms, rain, lightning strikes, flooding and power cuts are all possible, with residents being urged to take care when travelling and allow extra journey times.
The warnings cover Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, Northern England, Scotland and parts of the Midlands and Wales.
On Thursday, the warning zone extends across most of Northern Ireland only.
The Met Office said “persistent rain” would be met with “more scattered heavy and thundery showers”.
Rain will be “slow-moving”, the warning states, increasing the risk of flooding.
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Rainfall accumulation could reach up to 50mm (two inches) in some areas over a period of six to nine hours, the Met Office said.
Into Friday, the thunderstorm warning will spread out right across the northern half of the UK.
The Met Office said: “Within the warning area these showers and thunderstorms will be slow-moving and may cause localised surface water impacts.”
Rainfall accumulations up to 30mm (1.1 inch) are possible “in a short space of time”, with some areas reaching up to 100mm (four inches) build up over the course of the day.
The Met Office said: “There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater.”
Spray, road flooding and lightning strikes also pose a threat.
Also on Friday, a yellow rain warning has been issued for Central, Tayside & Fife and Grampian.
“Persistent, heavy rain” and “flooding” are all causes for caution.
Into Saturday, the heavy thunderstorm warnings swamp even more of the UK, encompassing all of northern Scotland, too.
The Met Office said: “Heavy showers are expected to break out across much of the UK again on Saturday.
“The heaviest showers are expected within the warning area where some of the showers will be slow-moving and thundery.
“Not all locations will be affected by the heaviest showers, with some areas escaping much in the way of rainfall.
“However, where the showers do occur there is potential for a further 20-30mm (up to 1.1 inch) of rain in a relatively short time period and during the course of the day there is a chance that some places could see as much as 50-70mm (up to 2.7 inches) building up.”
And though these warnings are not currently expected to continue into Sunday, unsettled conditions are still expected.
For next week, the Met Office said “unsettled conditions” are likely to continue.
The forecast states: “Sunny spells and showers for many areas at the start of this period, with most frequent showers probably in the north and west.
“By the middle of next week there is an increasing likelihood of thicker cloud bringing rain to northwestern areas, together with stronger winds.
“These more unsettled conditions are likely to spread slowly southeastwards through the latter part of next week.”
