Severe storms expected

An amber severe weather warning for parts of the UK has been issued by the Met Office as intense thunderstorms are expected through Friday night and the weekend which could cause disruption.

The first pulse of storms is expected to come through late on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday, as an area of possibly intense thunderstorms move north from the continent.

These are likely to extend up through parts of England and Wales, potentially moving into parts of Scotland by the afternoon.

Thunderstorms may also generate over the UK as temperatures rise through Saturday afternoon, before another pulse of storms is likely to move up from the continent later on.

While many areas may not see any thunderstorms, where they do form they could bring torrential downpours, frequent lightning, large hail and strong gusts of wind.

Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: "We have storms affecting parts of the UK from three separate sources, each having the potential to affect slightly different areas at different times of the day.

"This means a large area is at potential risk from these storms, as identified by the amber warning, but not everywhere will see them - some spots could see a relatively fine day.

"This alert identifies the area of risk and where the thunderstorms do form we could see localised flooding, as well as the risks that go with lightning and hail. We'd advise people to stay up to date with our latest forecasts and warnings as the situation progresses."