Thunderstorms in Portsmouth: Met Office issues advance yellow weather warning forecast about thunder and lightning due to hit Hampshire

While this weekend has seen glorious weather, and it is likely to be the hottest day of the year so far today, forecasters say that the end of the week will be a different story.

Today the Met Office has said: ‘Although there remains significant uncertainty in location and timing, areas of thunderstorms are expected to move northeast across parts of England and Wales from late Wednesday through to Friday morning.

‘Whilst not all locations will be affected, some intense thunderstorms may occur during this period with torrential rain, hail, frequent lightning and strong gusty winds possible. Rainfall totals of around 30mm could fall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving around 50mm in two to three hours, although these will be fairly isolated.’

Portsmouth, Hampshire, Southampton and the Isle of Wight are all on the list of areas where the storms are forecast.

The Met Office has added that there is the potential for travel disruption and flooding, as well as difficult driving conditions and the chance of power cuts.