Met Office issues thunderstorms warning after the heatwave in Cornwall

Forecasters say heavy rain and lightning strikes could cause disruption

Stock image of lightning strike over fields near Helston
Author: Emma HartPublished 12th Aug 2022
Last updated 12th Aug 2022

After the heatwave comes a thunderstorms warning for the whole of Cornwall and the South West.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Monday 15th August, that will remain in force all day from 6am.

Forecasters say while some areas will stay dry, locally heavy rain and lightning strikes could affect others.

We are being warned to expect a small chance of flash-flooding, potential disruption on the roads and railways and possible power cuts.

An amber 'Extreme Heat' weather warning will remain in force until 23.59pm on Sunday 14th August.

The Met Office says: "While some places stay dry, thunderstorms are likely to develop during Monday, bringing locally heavy rain and possible disruption". We can expect:

What can we expect?

There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

The thunderstorm warning states: "Whilst some places will avoid them, thunderstorms are likely to develop increasingly widely as we go through Monday.

"Storms will probably already be underway for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland by early Monday, before also developing across parts of England and Wales by late morning and into the afternoon. Storms should begin to ease from the west later.

"Very locally 20-30mm of rain is possible in an hour, and up to around 50mm in three to six hours.

"Hail and frequent lightning are also possible".

You can check the latest weather warnings for Cornwall and the UK on the Met Office website.

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