THE Met Office has revealed the exact time “heavy thunderstorms” are set to hit Britain today, bringing in travel chaos and flooding.
The forecaster has also warned that flooding in some places could cause “danger to life”.
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Today will get off to a decent start with dry, sunny spells up and down the country but there is an increasing risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms developing, mainly in western parts.
Showers are predicted to be heavy with frequent lightning and even hail in some parts, the national weather forecaster says.
It will feel very warm and humid too, particularly in the east.
Locations in the south-east could see temperatures hit 26C, possibly 27C, today, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
The Met Office still has three yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms in place for today.
Starting first is the one in Northern Ireland which comes into effect at 11am today and covers the entire western half of the country.
It is in place until 7pm tonight.
The warning says to expect “heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms”.
Then from midday a second warning comes into effect which covers the vast majority of western England and most of Wales.
This warning lasts until 10pm tonight.
It says: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to some disruption in places, especially to travel. Isolated property flooding is possible.”
A similar, third, warning, is also in place from 2pm today which covers western and central parts of Scotland and flooding is possible.
The warning lasts until 4am on Monday.
People in areas with a yellow warning should expect some disruption, especially to travel.
Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and there is a slight chance of power cuts, the Met Office said.
The miserable conditions look like they will be prolonged too as the Met Office has extended its warnings into Monday.
As well as the existing one covering most of Scotland, another has now been issued for rain which covers southern Wales and most of Devon and Cornwall and further along the southern coast of England.
It is in effect from 8am Monday morning, right through until midnight.
Northern Ireland is also hit with heavy rain on Monday, but this time it is the eastern half affected.
That warning runs from midday tomorrow and continues until 6am on Tuesday.
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Due to the thunderstorm warnings Ryanair has issued a warning to anyone travelling to and from the UK.
The discount airline said: “Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Sunday, May 12 should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.
“We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions, which are outside of Ryanair’s control and affect all airlines operating to/from the UK Sun 12 May.”
While heavy rain will continue to hit Scotland for most of the night, it will be largely dry elsewhere.
Costal areas though could see some misty conditions by dawn.
The start of the working week will be greeted by rain arriving in southwest England during the morning and this is predicted to spread across Wales and Northern Ireland in the afternoon.
Further East though, it will stay mostly dry with warm, sunny spells.
Temperatures will be down from the weekend.
Conditions will be unsettled as the week progresses as low pressure remains close by.
There will be more rain and heavy showers across Tuesday and Wednesday but conditions are expected to be drier on Thursday.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to break out on Sunday morning, most likely across southwest England and Wales, but possibly also across western Northern Ireland too.
“They’ll track steadily north through the afternoon whilst probably growing into larger clumps of rain before clearing Scotland overnight.
“Some intense downpours are possible in a few places, giving up to 30mm in less than hour and perhaps 40-50mm over two to three hours.
The Met Office’s long-term forecast
May 16 to May 25
Changeable with showers developing by day across the UK during the latter part of the week and over the weekend.
The heaviest showers and greatest risk of thunderstorms across southern parts.
Temperatures generally around or just a little above average, though with winds tending to be light, still feeling warm in sunnier areas.
Over the weekend there are signs that showers may start to ease from the north with drier, more settled conditions probably becoming established for a time.
Confidence lowers into the following week with signals unclear how prolonged the influence of higher pressure will be.
So after a potentially more settled spell of weather, unsettled conditions are likely to return during the week with the wettest conditions in the west.
Above average temperatures more likely than below.
“Hail, frequent lightning strikes and strong wind gusts will be additional localised hazards.”
On Saturday, temperatures peaked at 25.9C in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and in northern Scotland a temperature of 25.7C was recorded in Cassley.
Gogerddan in Wales saw 25.1C, while temperatures in Northern Ireland peaked at 23.8C in Magilligan.
Temperatures climbed steadily over the week, with the previous record set on Thursday, with a peak of 24.6C in London’s St James’s Park.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK has warned that warmer weather is directly linked to an increase in fatal drowning incidents.
On Friday, 17-year-old Ronalds Abele died after getting into difficulty while swimming at the Embankment, in Wellingborough, and was pulled from the water by emergency services, Northamptonshire Police said.
He was pronounced dead in hospital.
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