Met Office issues 12-hour thunderstorm warning for today as power cuts 'likely'

The yellow Met Office warning is in place from 10am until 10pm on Tuesday, in five regions across the UK where heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across five UK regions today with the potential for power cuts and flooding. The 12-hour alert is in effect from 10 am to 10 pm on Tuesday, covering South West England, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands, and London and South East England, as reported by the Express.

The Met Office has warned of power cuts and flooding as thunderstorms are expected to cause travel chaos today. The 12-hour yellow alert is in place from 10 am on Tuesday until 10 pm the same day in five UK regions. The areas affected are South West England, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands, and London & South East England.

Experts predict that showers and thunderstorms will spread from the southwest, as well as developing over land, during the morning, lasting through the afternoon and well into the evening. The warning adds: "Whilst some areas will miss these, where they develop 20-30 mm of rain within 2-3 hours, with a small chance that a few places could receive 40-50 mm over a longer period - especially across the southeast of the area this evening.

Hail and lightning will be additional hazards, with a risk of temporary hail accumulations in places. In addition, heavy showers and thunderstorms will be associated with strong and gusty winds in the south of the warning area at times with 40 mph gusts possible."