Met Office issues amber thunderstorm warning
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for severe thunderstorms, advising of the risk of 'intense rainfall, frequent lightning, hail and gusty winds'.
The warning has been issued for parts of East Anglia and eastern parts of East Sussex and Kent between 8pm on Friday and 5am on Saturday.
The Met Office warned that the storms could lead to flooding of homes, businesses and roads, difficult driving conditions and power cuts.
Yellow thunderstorm warnings are also in place for much of southern and south-west England and Wales between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
Steve Ramsdale, the Met Office chief meteorologist, said: 'We are watching developments over northern France closely as thunderstorms develop in the warm, humid air over the continent.
'These thunderstorms are then expected to move into the south-east of England and East Anglia tonight, bringing very frequent lightning, hail, and intense downpours of rain with gusty winds.
'The heavy rainfall could lead to surface water flooding, especially in urban areas. An amber severe weather warning has been issued for parts of the South East and East Anglia, where 30-50mm of rain could fall in a short period of time whilst the strong winds, hail and lightning could bring different impacts such as disruption to power supplies.
'Yellow thunderstorm warnings are also in place for large parts of southern England and Wales. While the warnings cover the areas of the country most at risk of seeing thunderstorms, not everyone within a warning area will experience a thunderstorm. For many, it will remain dry much of the time.'
A further yellow thunderstorm warning is in place, stretching from eastern and southern Scotland, to northern and south-western England and Wales from midnight to 6pm on Saturday.
Alice Simpson, of the RAC, warned that 'amber weather warnings must be taken seriously by drivers'.
She said: 'Strong winds increase the chance of trees and power lines falling, and this, combined with torrential rain over a short period, can make driving much more challenging. Anyone not confident driving in the conditions may wish to postpone their journeys until the stormy weather passes.'
A Met Office spokesman said temperatures were expected to peak on Friday, with parts of eastern England expected to reach up to 29C and possibly staying as high as 16C before cooler temperatures arrive by Sunday.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued its first yellow heat health alert of the year, running until 8am on Sunday in the east of England, the East Midlands, London, and the South East.
According to the agency and the Met Office, a yellow alert means there could be an increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people.
It may lead to an increase in risk to health for individuals aged over 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
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