Double weather warning for Sussex issued by Met Office
Strong winds and thunderstorms are expected across the county over the weekend
Last updated 23rd Jul 2021
It has been the calm before the storm - as a double yellow weather warning has been put in place across Sussex from today (Friday 23rd July)
The Met Office has predicted strong winds for the county, with the warning in force from between 3pm until midnight on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a warning for thunderstorms will come into affect from 8pm this evening until 10pm on Saturday night (24th July).
It follows the UK's first-ever amber warning for extreme heat, which was issued by the Met Office earlier this week for many parts of the south.
Heavy rain is expected to cause travel disruption and the chance of some localised flooding, as some areas could see more than 50 millimetres fall in the space of an hour.
What can we expect from thunderstorms?
- Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
- Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes or hail.
- Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.
- Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.
- What can we expect from the strong winds?
- Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely.
- Some tricky driving conditions for those towing caravans, and possible delays to ferry transport.
- Some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and/or large waves.
- Some damage may be caused to temporary summer structures.
The Met Office forecast states:
"Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across southern and eastern England and southeast Wales on Sunday.
"Some of the heaviest showers are expected to affect the southeast of England late morning after a period of early morning rainfall, before developing more widely across the warning area during the afternoon.
"Torrential downpours may develop in some places with hail and gusty winds as additional hazards.
"Rainfall amounts will vary considerably from place to place, but there is the potential for up to 80-100 mm to build up in some locations over the course of the day.
"Meanwhile, Strong, gusty east to north-easterly winds will develop through the afternoon and evening ahead of an area of thunderstorms.
"Some places may see gusts of 45 to 55 mph, especially along exposed coasts and near and over hills.
"This may lead to tricky driving conditions, for example for vehicles towing caravans and cause some disruption, for example at campsites."