Wales yellow weather warning for storms and lightning

The "be aware" warning covers south and mid Wales

Thunderstorms could bring power cuts and travel disruption to large parts of Wales as people start their bank holiday weekend.

A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued by the Met Office from 11:00 BST to 20:00 on Friday.

Heavy rain could cause localised flooding and cause travel disruption, and lightening strikes could damage buildings.

With river levels already high, there are also three flood alerts in place.

The alerts - meaning localised flooding could happen - are in place for some communities around rivers in north west and south east Wales.

On Tuesday, dozens of people were evacuated from their homes and campers were rescued as Storm Francis caused flooding and widespread travel disruption.

With rivers remaining swollen, Natural Resources Wales, said there were chances of localised flooding from surface water close to rivers in north Wales and south east Wales.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop quite quickly late Friday morning, but will peak in the afternoon, the warning said.

By evening they will probably have become restricted to the south-east and southern coastal counties.

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"Some places will miss the heavier rain, but other locations could see around 20mm within an hour, and perhaps 30mm to 40mm in around three hours, sufficient to cause issues on the roads," a spokesman said.

It comes after the Met Office said there was the potential on Thursday for 30mm to 40mm of rain in five or six hours in some places.

Friday's "be aware" yellow warning warning covers Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff; Carmarthenshire; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath Port Talbot; Newport; Powys; Rhondda Cynon Taf; Swansea; Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.