TORRENTIAL downpours and thunderstorms are set to batter parts of the UK as the Met Office warns of flooding and travel chaos.
June's early promise of scorching temperatures and dazzling sunshine has been dashed as southerners have been told to brace for a drenching.
đ” Read our UK weather live blog for the latest forecasts
The Met Office said "scattered torrential thundery downpours may bring some impacts, such as flooded roads" tonight, while "persistent rain" will hit the south west of England and parts of Wales.
The yellow warning – meaning "be prepared" – has been issued for large swathes of the south on Sunday and Monday.
Those living between Cornwall and Portsmouth in the south, and as far north as Swansea in Wales, have been told to expect downpours in the days to come.
The warning for torrential rain came into force at 2pm today and it won't end until 7am on Monday – just hours before a second warning for lighting starts.
The Met Office alert said: "Persistent rain, heavy and possibly thundery at times, will move across southern and southwestern areas of England and parts of south Wales through Sunday afternoon, persisting into Monday morning, before easing.
"20 to 40mm is likely to fall quite widely across the area but a few places could see 60 to 80mm over this period, including 15 to 25mm within an hour. Such totals may cause travel disruption and some flooding."
Brits should then brace themselves for thundery downpours and lightning from midday on Monday until 10pm.
The Met Office said: "Following clearance of overnight heavy rain, there is the potential for thundery downpours to develop across parts of southern England on Monday afternoon, lasting well into the evening.
"Where these form, they could prove to be slow-moving and produce large amounts of rainfall, with 20 to 30 mm falling within an hour and perhaps a few places seeing 50 to 60 mm in 2-3 hours.
"Lightning, hail and gusty winds may prove additional hazards in a few locations."
But there's much brighter news for the days to come – with highs of 30C possible next week.
Sun-worshippers desperate for summer to make a return after an utterly bleak May only need to hold on for a few more days.
Bookies believe the mercury will rocket to 30C sometime next week.
July 1 is on Thursday – and there are hopes the sunshine will blast back for the end of June.
A Spanish plume will hit the UK as the new month arrives, and Ladbrokes has slashed odds to just 4/1 that sizzling highs are on the way.
It's also just a 7/2 shot that next month goes down in history as the hottest July on record.
Jessica O'Reilly of Ladbrokes said: "It looks like June's going to end with a bang and July's going to start with an even bigger one as the Spanish plume sees temperatures rocket."
It's predicted that temperatures will begin to climb from next Tuesday – with a high of 23C expected for England's Euro 2020 round of 16 match against Germany at Wembley.
The mercury will then rise again on Wednesday and Thursday, with much longed-for sunshine making a welcome return.
July will be ushered in with high pressure from western and northern Europe.
According to the BBC's long-range forecast, a heatwave could hit most of the country next month.
The broadcaster said: "Computer models are very enthusiastic on developing a strong high to our east over Germany and into Scandinavia by mid-July.
"This would be a very warm pattern for the UK with a potential for heatwaves.â
The weather this month has veered wildly between the sublime and the ridiculous.
At the start of the month, Brits basked in a gorgeous 10-day heatwave, with temperatures hotter than the south of France or Ibiza.
But in recent days, the mercury has plunged – and a "tornado" and flash floods left a trail of destruction in east London.
Source: Read Full Article