UK Weather: Met Office Warnings in Force Amid Thunderstorm and Flood Risk
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Yellow warnings remain in force as rain and thunderstorms hit parts of the UK
Image source:
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
By
Ben Rich
Lead Weather Presenter
Published: 26 August 2026, 00:11 BST
Updated: 3 minutes ago
Downpours and thunderstorms will continue to bring the risk of flooding to parts of the UK on Wednesday.
Weather Warnings in Effect
- A Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms is valid until 22:00 BST, recently amended to cover northern and eastern Wales, as well as north-west England, the Midlands and parts of southern and eastern England.
- Another yellow Met Office warning is in place for Thursday, expecting more thunderstorms.
Predicted Weather Events
Wednesday:
- The Met Office yellow thunderstorm warning covers a large area of England and Wales.
- Sunny spells will develop after early cloud and rain, but scattered thundery downpours are expected during the afternoon.
- Rainfall could be heavy, reaching 20-30mm (0.8-1.2in) in an hour, with accumulations up to 40-50mm (1.6-2in) possible over a few hours.
- Flash flooding is a concern, especially where the ground is hard from previous dry spells. Difficulty driving and large hail are also possible.
- Northern Ireland will see showers but less intense than in England and Wales.
- Scotland largely remains dry with sunny spells, though some showers are expected later in the south-west.
Thursday:
- Another zone of thunderstorms, affecting mostly England and Wales, per a Met Office warning valid from 06:00 until 22:00 BST.
- Widespread rainfall totals of 20-30mm (0.8-1.2in) expected within three hours, with some areas seeing up to 50mm (2in).
- Gusty winds in southern England on Thursday morning.
- Showers may reach Scotland and Northern Ireland but weaken as they move north.
Impact for Southern UK
Despite recent dry spells, parts of southern UK have seen minimal rainfall this August. Some locations like Brize Norton in Oxfordshire have recorded less than 1% of their normal monthly rainfall so far. Kew Gardens has seen no rain at all in July and only 1.8mm this month.
This week’s expected rainfall could bring the wettest weather for these areas in weeks.
