Met Office issues two-day Greater Manchester thunderstorm warning amid threat of 'frequent lightning strikes'

The alert - which covers large parts of the country including Greater Manchester - runs until 11.59pm on Monday night. It states: “Whilst many places will miss them, thunderstorms may cause flooding and disruption.” 

The warning stretches from Edinburgh in the north all the way down to Portsmouth on the south coast of England. It started at 4am on Sunday morning. 

Met Office weather forecast amid thunderstorm warning 

Sunday - “Through today, areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to move north across England, into parts of Wales and later into Scotland. The extent of these thunderstorms remains very uncertain and whilst many places will miss them, some places may see 30 to 40 mm of rain fall in less than an hour and perhaps over 60-80 mm in one or two places. Frequent lightning strikes and hail will be additional hazards.”

Monday - “On Monday, areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to be ongoing from overnight and expected to continue to affect parts of the UK through the day. The focus for thunderstorms and impacts is expected to gradually move east later in the day. The extent of these thunderstorms remains very uncertain and whilst many places will miss them, some places may see 30 to 40 mm of rain fall in less than an hour and perhaps over 60-80 mm in one or two places. Frequent lightning strikes and hail will be additional hazards.”

What a Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms means

• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
• There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds