Met Office issues rare AMBER thunderstorm warnings for the weekend threatening floods, lightning strikes and power cuts after 30C heat today
The Met Office has issued a rare amber thunderstorm warning as Brits are set to be pummelled by floods as well as lightning strikes after power cuts amid soaring 30C temperatures today.
Parts of southeastern England are set to experience large hail and gusty winds of up to 50mph between from 8pm until 5am Saturday morning.
The forecaster has warned businesses and residents of possible damage to properties amid possible rapid floods and lightning strikes.
Some of the region may also be left in darkness and cut off from other services due to possible power cuts as a result of the adverse weather conditions.
Fast flowing or deep floodwater is also likely with up 50mm rainfall expected, the Met Office has said, as they warned of conditions 'causing a danger to life'.
Parts of the region may also become cut off due to road closures with public transport delays expected.
A separate yellow thunderstorm warning has also been issued for London, Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Central Bedfordshire until 6am tomorrow.
Wales and southwest England are also set to be battered by thunderous weather until midnight tonight.
⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️
Thunderstorms across parts of southeast England and parts of East Anglia
Friday 2000 – Saturday 0500
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfS950
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/PJTZnqzNgk
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 13, 2025
The Met Office has urged Brits to avoid travelling, stay indoors and to prepare flood kits in case of an emergency.
It comes as forecaster warned the weekend will bring wild swings between tropical heat and violent downpours, with temperatures soaring to 30C on Friday, potentially making it the hottest day of 2025 so far, hotter than Ibiza, Mykonos, and even sunny Los Angeles.
The Met Office warned that some areas could be hit by up to two inches of rain in just a few hours, with gusty winds reaching up to 50mph, lightning strikes, hail, and the risk of flooding and travel chaos.
In a further blow, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued its first yellow heat-health alert of the year, running from 9pm Thursday to 8am Sunday.
It covers London, the East Midlands, the South East and East of England where vulnerable people face health risks and hospitals could come under strain.
'It's all because we've got air moving in from the south, so the air is originating across Spain and Portugal and has been moving its way northwards,' said Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge.
'We're going to see increasingly humid conditions with very warm days and some quite muggy nights as well and the general gist is that western parts of the UK are likely to see the majority of the rain and the thundery showers.
'But, as we go into Friday, we could see some of that also moving across the east and south east as well for some thunder there for a time.'
Amid all the chaos, the Environment Agency has officially declared a drought in Yorkshire, where some areas have seen less than 50 percent of average rainfall this spring and just three-quarters of the May average.
It follows a similar move in north-west England last month, and a developing drought zone in parts of the Welsh Water network.
The agency warned that the prolonged dry period has drastically reduced water supplies and could pose a serious risk to wildlife, agriculture, and public health. Hosepipe bans and water restrictions may be introduced if the situation worsens.
A spokesperson said: 'A drought is a prolonged dry period that reduces available water supplies and can negatively impact the environment, people and wildlife.'
Friday's storms are expected to form into long bands, bringing torrential rain, strong winds, hail and lightning especially across eastern and south-eastern England.
Simon Partridge added: 'We've got a very warm, humid, spell of wet weather to come.'
Under the UKHSA's alert system, the yellow alert signals a likely increase in healthcare demand, particularly from over-65s and people with heart or lung conditions.
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