Met Office issues thunderstorm weather warning for parts of Hampshire

Heavy rain is forecast for much of central and southern England in the next 12 hours, with showers gradually moving eastwards over the course of the afternoon.

The Met Office yellow weather warning, which means there may be some disruption particularly to travel, is active from 12pm to 11.59pm today.

It includes most of north Hampshire, Southampton and Winchester, but Portsmouth is expected to miss the heaviest showers.

A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘During Saturday afternoon bands of thunderstorms are expected to develop over central and southern England.

‘These will gradually move eastwards during the rest of the day, finally clearing the east of England late this evening.

‘These will bring heavy rain with 20 mm of rain possible in an hour in some locations and a chance of 30-40 mm in a couple of hours though most areas will see much less rainfall.

‘Lightning and hail are additional hazards, along with gusty winds, particularly from late afternoon into the evening in south and southeastern parts.’

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In areas which have the heaviest rainfall, there could be difficult driving conditions caused by spray and some flooding of a few homes and businesses in likely.

In Portsmouth heavy rain is forecast from midday until about 6pm, with cloudy weather for the rest of the evening.

Sunday will bring brighter conditions though, with sunny intervals and maximum temperatures of 20C expected.

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