Yellow weather alert issued for thunderstorms

Storms are forecast to sweep across southern counties on Monday night

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office for southern England.

The warning runs until 23:59BST on Monday.

The Met Office said that the conditions could cause disruption to rail and road travel.

The alert covers East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Bristol, Somerset and parts of southern Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea.

Frank Saunders, a chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms will move northwards across southern parts of England and Wales later this afternoon before clearing northwards overnight.

“Thunderstorms are most likely for south-facing coastal districts, and hail and some strong gusts of wind could accompany the heaviest showers and thunderstorms.”

The warning begins at 16:00BST on Monday and ends at 23:59

The Met office warned driving conditions could be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.

Delays to train services are also possible, with Network Rail advising travellers to check on its website.

Some places will see 20-30mm (0.7-1.2in) of rain, with a small chance that a few places could receive 40 mm.

People in areas prone to flooding are being advised to prepare.

'Localised flooding'

BBC South East weather presenter Nina Ridge said: "Monday will see an area of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms spread northwards across southern and central parts of England.

"Some parts of Sussex and west Surrey may see 20-30mm of rain in 2-3 hours which may leading to localised flooding.

"The rain is expected to clear by midnight."

The Environment Agency his warning people living in the affected areas to check their risk of flooding on its website.

Further heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected across central and southern areas of the UK on Tuesday.

The Met Office has also said it had “increasing confidence” that ex-Hurricane Kirk will track to the south of the UK later this week, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to northern France.