Weekend thunderstorms may pose danger to life as Met Office warning upgraded
Heavy rain with some thunder could create 'fast flowing or deep floodwater, causing a danger to life' in the amber warning area, which spans the east and South East of England, including London, between 4am and 11am on Saturday.
Various yellow thunderstorm warnings are also in place in the UK between Friday morning and Saturday night.
Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall in one hour in the amber warning zone, going up to 70 to 100mm in just a few hours where heavy downpours persist.
'Torrential rain, with thunderstorms in places, could lead to some significant surface water flooding during Saturday morning', the Met Office said.
An ongoing deluge may cause 'significant impacts' if it hits 'more urban areas'.
It is likely that homes and businesses will flood and that flooding could happen quickly, the Met Office said, adding that some communities may be cut off if roads flood.
Buildings could be damaged by floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds, it added.
It is the first amber warning to be issued for London since January last year.
The first yellow thunderstorm warning comes into force at 11am on Friday until 8pm in the East Midlands, north-east England and Yorkshire.
Another yellow thunderstorm warning runs from 9pm to midnight on Friday in east and south-east England.
⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️
Torrential, thundery rain across parts of southeast England
Saturday 0400 – 1100
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/BVzZAcVCco
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 18, 2025
The warning expands to most of England and some parts of southern Scotland from midnight to 9pm on Saturday.
Forecasters said these storms could 'cause disruption in places'.
'Areas of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move north-westwards across a large swathe of central and eastern England through Friday night into Saturday', the Met Office said.
It added: 'Rain will likely be torrential in places, bringing 20-30mm in less than an hour, with 60-90 mm in two to three hours possible in a few places.'
Frequent lightning and localised surface water flooding are also possible.
Much of the UK will have a warm and humid start to Friday before the thunderstorms move in.
East Anglia and the South East will see 'notably high' temperatures – reaching 28C to 30C widely, and a corridor between London and the east coast could see them push up to 32C.
Chief Met Office meteorologist, Andy Page, said: 'Intense rainfall will impact parts of the UK as thunderstorms move in from France.
'A range of severe weather warnings have been issued, including an Amber warning covering South East England and London.
'The intense rainfall could lead to surface water flooding as well as frequent lightning and hail too.
'The situation is evolving, and warnings may be changed or added.'
He added: 'This weekend is expected to be busy on the roads as more schools in England and Wales break up for the summer holidays, so it's important people keep up-to-date with the very latest forecast.
'There will be spells of more pleasant weather in parts of the UK through the weekend, with some sunny spells in between systems as they move through.'
The persistent cloud and rain will keep the temperatures on Saturday relatively low.
Maximum temperatures will mainly stay in the high teens to low 20Cs, but brighter spells in the south could reach the mid to high 20s.
The most recent amber warning issued for London was for wind on January 2 2024, during Storm Henk which swept through central parts of England and Wales.
The AA has urged drivers to prepare for disruption and take care on the roads.
The breakdown service said: 'This amount of rain is well over a month's worth for a normal July.
'As well as heavy rain, impacts from frequent lightning, gusty winds and large hail are also likely.
'These storms could affect some of the popular holiday routes for early departures on this year's summer getaway.
'While localised flash flooding and the sudden appearance of surface water are the usual dangers associated with summer heavy rain, the potential for slippery road surfaces at junctions and roundabouts is a hidden menace.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
6 hours ago
- CBS News
Flash flood warning for Chicago area as severe storms roll through Friday
Chicago weather today includes severe storms moving into the area that could produce flash flooding Friday afternoon. There is a Flash Flood Warning in effect for Cook and DuPage counties until 2:45 p.m., and a Flood Advisory for Cook and Will counties until 3:25 p.m. Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports were placed under a ground stop as the storms moved, in though they had been lifted as of 2 p.m. Both are still under ground delays, with delays averaging 1 hour and 7 minutes at Midway and 1 hour and 15 minutes at O'Hare. O'Hare is also experiencing departure delays averaging 1 hour and 45 minutes. There are reports of car rescues due to flooding in Washington Park on South State Street. Local officials have not provided an update on the incident. Torrential rain rates of 3 inches per hour are possible, and storms are sitting in place, leading to extremely high rain totals potentially exceeding 5 inches this afternoon in parts of the city. Basement and roadway flooding are likely during severe weather. If you encounter a flooded roadway, never drive through it-"Turn around, don't drown!" The storm threats remain in place on Friday and through the weekend, with the possibility of additional rounds of flooding in parts of the area. Residents are asked to contact 311 to report flooding.


CBS News
8 hours ago
- CBS News
Orion Road near Dutton Road expected to reopen in early August after flood
A section of Orion Road that has been closed since it partly collapsed during flooding on July 16 is expected to reopen the week of Aug. 4, according to the Road Commission for Oakland County, Michigan. The affected area is near Dutton Road, on the border of Rochester Hills and Oakland Township. More than 5 inches of rain fell in about an hour at that location, washing away much of the ground near the road. As a result, a portion of the road collapsed and left exposed underground utilities that included a water line, gas line and fiber optic cable. The Road Commission placed stormwater pumps in the area starting July 18. As the flood water receded, utility crews were able to begin their repair and relocation work for the infrastructure lines. That includes City of Rochester Hills water main – The damaged water main was removed, and a new 12-inch water main is being installed. Testing on the new line will take place next week. Consumers Energy gas main – The old gas line has been abandoned and will be removed. A new gas line has been placed along Canyon Street, with gas service to be restored by Friday. There will also be a new gas line placed along Orion Road in early August. AT&T fiber optic cable – The repair of this service is expected to be done on Friday. After that step, the road commission can backfill the area that was washed out by the flood and send a contractor to pave the rebuilt section. The road commission has already completed repair work on the existing culvert. In the meantime, the road commission is working with the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes and the Environment (EGLE) to conduct a study to determine if any further changes are necessary. The posted detour for the area is Rochester Road to Tienken Road to Adams Road, back to Orion Road and vice versa. This segment of Orion Road normally carries 8,470 vehicles a day. The above video originally aired on July 18.


News24
8 hours ago
- News24
Saturday's weather: Eastern Cape braces for damaging waves, icy weather - rest of SA cool
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a warning for damaging waves along the coastline between Port Alfred and Richards Bay this weekend, while very cold conditions have been forecast for other parts of the Eastern Cape. Impact-based warnings: Yellow Level 2: Damaging waves can be expected along the coastline between Port Alfred and Richards Bay. These may lead to difficulty in navigation, disruptions at harbours/ports, and interruptions to beachfront activities. In the SAWS' colour-coded weather warning system, yellow indicates a moderate risk of impact that requires caution and awareness, while orange indicates that higher-risk impact is expected, requiring increased attention and preparation. SAWS uses the numbers to indicate the likelihood of weather-based impacts occurring. Levels 2 and 6 are high, and Level 4 is low. Advisories: Residents in the north-eastern interior of the Eastern Cape should brace for very cold conditions that will persist until Sunday. Weather in your province Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers. Mpumalanga: Morning fog patches are expected over the southern highveld, followed by partly cloudy and cold to cool conditions. Isolated showers and thundershowers should also be anticipated, though it will remain warm in parts of the lowveld. Mbombela: 9°C – 19°C Ermelo: 6°C – 17°C Emalahleni: 7°C – 19°C Standerton: 5°C – 20°C Skukuza: 17°C – 25°C Limpopo: Partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers. Polokwane: 9°C – 22°C Phalaborwa: 15°C – 25°C Tzaneen: 12°C – 23°C Musina: 13°C – 25°C Lephalale: 9°C – 25°C Mokopane: 10°C – 23°C North West: The province will experience fine to partly cloudy and cool conditions, with isolated showers and thundershowers forecast in the east. Klerksdorp: 5°C – 20°C Potchefstroom: 5°C – 20°C Mahikeng: 6°C – 22°C Rustenburg: 7°C – 23°C Vryburg: 5°C – 20°C Free State: Eastern interior areas may see morning fog patches. The rest of the province will have partly cloudy and cold to cool conditions with isolated showers and thundershowers expected in the east. Bloemfontein: 5°C – 17°C Welkom: 5°C – 19°C Bethlehem: 0°C – 16°C Northern Cape: The day will be fine and cool, though cold conditions are expected in the south. Along the coast, moderate to fresh south-easterly winds will strengthen in the northern areas in the afternoon. Upington: 6°C – 20°C Kimberley: 6°C – 18°C De Aar: 1°C – 14°C Alexander Bay: 7°C – 21°C Springbok: 4°C – 19°C Calvinia: -2°C – 18°C Sutherland: -6°C – 14°C Western Cape: Cloudy and cool to cold conditions are expected, with some light rain over the extreme south-eastern parts. Northern regions will remain partly cloudy. Coastal winds will be fresh to strong southerly and south-easterly, with lighter south-westerly winds along the southern coast. Cape Town: 10°C – 17°C Vredendal: 4°C – 20°C Riversdale: 7°C – 14°C George: 8°C – 15°C Worcester: 4°C – 16°C Beaufort West: 4°C – 12°C Oudtshoorn: 5°C – 14°C Western half of the Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy and cold to very cold conditions will dominate, with isolated showers and rain expected in the south, particularly along the coast and adjacent interior where it will be scattered. Fresh to strong south-westerly winds will prevail along the coast. Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cold to very cold conditions will persist, becoming cloudy with isolated showers and rain over south-eastern parts by the evening. Fresh to strong south-westerly winds are expected along the coast. Gqeberha: 11°C – 15°C Makhanda: 6°C – 13°C Cradock: 1°C – 15°C Graaff-Reinet: -1°C – 14°C East London: 11°C – 15°C Port St Johns: 12°C – 18°C Mthatha: 4°C – 19°C Komani: 2°C – 12°C Qonce: 7°C – 15°C KwaZulu-Natal: Partly cloudy and cool conditions are forecast, turning warm in the extreme north-east. Isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers are likely except in the extreme south. Winds along the coast will vary from light to moderate to fresh south-westerly to southerly.