Britain on storm alert as Met Office issues 11 thunderstorm warnings across UK

The Met Office has issued 11 thunderstorm warnings across the UK.

Britain is set to be battered by stormy winds and rain after the Met Office put out Yellow warnings in London & South East England, South West England, Strathclyde, North East England, the East Midlands, West Midlands, Central, Tayside and Fife, Yorkshire and Humber, Wales, Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian and Borders.

They said: "Thunderstorms and heavy downpours may cause flooding and travel disruption."

The thunderstorm warning in the south east stretches from Swanage in the west all the way along to Birchington on the UK's east coast. It stretches as far north as south London and covers major cities such as Brighton, Portsmouth and Dover.

Speaking about the warning, which is in place from midday until 9pm this evening, the Met Office said: "Following morning rain, thunderstorms and heavy downpours may break out in some places this afternoon and evening.

"Although not all places will catch these storms and downpours, where they do occur 20 to 30 mm rain may fall in some places in an hour or two."

The Met Office also issued a separate yellow warning for thunderstorms further north stretching across a much larger area from Llandrindod Wells in Wales all the way up to Stirling and the Scottish Highlands in the south. This weather warning is in place from 1pm to 9pm.

It also impacts major cities in England such as Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, and Newcastle. In Scotland, Carlisle, Dumfries, Glasgow and Stirling are most likely to be affected by heavy rain and thunder.

On this warning, the Met Office said: "Thunderstorms and heavy downpours are likely to break out in some places this afternoon and evening.

"Although not all places will catch these storms and downpours, where they do occur 20 to 40 mm rain may fall in some places in an hour or two."

Ahead of the thunderstorms this afternoon, the Met Office has said that the weather could "cause flooding and travel disruption". The latest warnings arrive on the same day millions of Britons will be taking to the roads as they head home after a long bank holiday weekend.

Speaking to Express.co.uk about the latest thunderstorms weather expert Jim Dale talked about what Britons could expect from the latest thunderstorms.

Mr Dale said: "We are talking about a PM period. They're going to be scattered, they're not going to be everywhere.

"My warning is if you're in open spaces or forested areas, be very careful in terms of where you put yourself; these things can catch people out.

"The north is also an area of concern and more generally the northern areas, once you get that build-up of cloud. In the course of the afternoon, I think we'll get one or two sparking off there.

"Watch out for high gusty winds, hail, lightning and sudden downpours. It's atypical for the time of year, but these should be the last ones for a while."