The Met Office has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms in parts of England this weekend as a heatwave continues to grip the UK.
A yellow thunderstorm warning is in place on Saturday and Sunday, the forecaster said, adding that scattered thunderstorms may cause some disruption.
It is in place from 3pm on Saturday to 4am on Sunday.
The warning covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East England, North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber and some parts of Wales.
This includes major towns and cities such as Leicester, Nottingham, Durham, Newcastle, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and York.
The Met Office warned spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, and there is a slight chance that power cuts could occur.
There is also a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads, the forecaster said.
“Whilst many places will likely remain dry and unaffected, scattered thunderstorms may develop during Saturday afternoon, lasting through the evening hours, moving northeastwards before eventually clearing to the North Sea by the early hours of Sunday,” the warning said.
“The most intense thunderstorms could produce frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds, along with some heavy downpours for a time. This may lead to some surface water impacts in places.”
It comes as temperatures reached as high as 32.2C in Kew, west London, on Thursday, amid an amber heat-health alert for all regions in England.
The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday.
It warns “significant impacts are likely” across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions.
By Friday afternoon, several areas across the country are expected to have passed the heatwave criteria, Met Office weather forecaster Dan Stroud said.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
Temperatures will be in the low 30s, and probably be the peak of the hot spell on Saturday, as 34C is possible, still below the June record of 35.6C in 1976.
Sunday will be another very warm day in the south and east probably in the late 20s, elsewhere it will be cooler, with temperatures in the mid 20s, Mr Stroud said.
