LARGE parts of the country are due to be hit with thunderstorms and heavy rain in hours as the Met Office issues a yellow weather warning.
There is a small chance of flooding which could bring disruption to the roads and delays with rail and bus services, the forecaster has said.
The warning covers central parts of England from the southern coast, including the Isle of Wight to just north of Newcastle, with the far eastern parts of Wales also likely to get a battering.
It is in place from 4am tomorrow until 9pm.
The Met Office said there remains a possibility that they fail to develop at all.
But it warned that if it does, then people can expect 30 to 40mm of rain may fall in less than an hour with perhaps more than 75mm in one or two places, leading to a chance of flooding and disruption.
In most parts today though it will remain fine but with cloudier conditions in the south and southwest.
A few showers may crop up around the coastal areas in the southwest.
The northwest can expect some light but fresh winds.
It will feel pleasant in the sunshine.
Overnight it will remain cloudier in the south, along with showery rain pushing north across England and Wales which is expected to be heavy and possibly thundery.
It will feel warmer in the south and feel chilly in the north where there are clear skies.
Sunday will be a cloudy day for most along with showery outbreaks of rain which will head northwards and be heavy and thundery at times.
It will be drier and brighter in the far northwest while warm and humid in the southeast.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris, said: “Through Saturday night and into Sunday we’ll see a gradual change in our weather across the UK with an increasing chance of heavy thundery showers developing, particularly across central parts of the UK.
“Should they develop there is the risk of some local disruption from intense rainfall, gusty winds, lightning and possibly hail too.
September 4-13
The Met Office says: “Confidence is very low even at the start of this period (unusually so, in fact), but the most likely scenario is that sunny spells and showers will tend to dominate, especially so in the south, whilst northern areas, especially the far north, may see more in the way of drier spells between less frequent showers.
“There is a smaller chance that this more settled regime could extend countrywide.
“Temperatures are expected to be around or a little below average for the time of year, with some chilly nights possible.
“There is an increasing chance, into the weekend, of further warm/humid weather, with potential for thundery rain, before conditions possibly then turn more broadly settled and cooler from the northwest once again through the following week.”
“Not everywhere within the warning area will see thunderstorms, and confidence in any individual location being affected remains extremely low at this time.
“The risk of thunderstorms steadily transfers northwards through Sunday afternoon and into the early evening.
“If you have plans for Sunday, I’d recommend keeping up to date with the Met Office forecast and any updates to the warnings.”
As the working week gets underway, there is a chance of showers and some longer spells of heavy rain.
By Wednesday though this is predicted to turn drier along with sunny spells with some showers.
