Thunderstorm warning issued by Met Office as UK to be battered by hail and rain

The Met Office has issued a yellowthunderstorm warning ahead of stormy conditions, with rain and hail set to batter a vast swathe of the UK.

Heavy rain, lightning and hail is expected to batter parts of the UK on Sunday, the new alert, which came into force just after 8am states, and will do so until at least midday. The weather warning covers parts of Gloucester, Bath, Salisbury and Newport, and nearly 20 localities in total, affecting thousands of people.

Forecasters warned of difficult driving conditions, a small chance of homes and businesses experiencing power cuts, being flooded or getting damaged by water, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds, and potential disruption to train and bus services.

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A band of heavy rain and thunderstorms is due to move north across the affected area, with some places potentially seeing more than an inch's worth of rain during downpours etched with frequent lightning and hail, according to the Met Office.

The service said in a statement: "A band of heavy rain and thunderstorms will move north across the area giving one to hours of intense rain before clearing northwards. Some places could receive 30-40mm (one to 1.5 inches) of rain in this time, along with a risk of frequent lightning and hail."

Meteorologist Ellie Glaisyer said: “It’s a very windy start for many of us out there this morning particularly across the west where we’ve seen some coastal gales and we’ll continue to see some very strong winds as we go throughout much of Sunday.

“A bit of a brighter start across eastern areas this morning, plenty of hazy sunshine on offer through the afternoon but further west a bit of a wetter picture. Some outbreaks of heavy, showery rain push their way northwards as we go through this afternoon.” It comes before a total lunar eclipse “blood moon”, which is expected to be visible in parts of England and Wales on Sunday night.

The moon is to turn a deep, dark red – sometimes called a “blood moon” – as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface, for the first time since 2022.

Where skies are clear, the eclipse will be visible at around 7.30pm. But the forecast may not stay clear for long for some Brits, with the Met Office long-range predicting unsettled conditions this month. The forecast - which covers September 11 to 20 - warns more stormy conditions are on the horizon.

It states: "This period is likely to start out unsettled, with low pressure dominating the pattern. This will mean showers or longer spells of rain will affect most of the UK at times.

"Some heavy rain or showers are expected in places, most often in the west and north. Thunderstorms and hail are also possible, as are some spells of strong winds, especially if any deep areas of low pressure develop and affect the UK. Later in the period, there may be some longer spells of drier weather that develop, especially towards the south, with more in the way of sunshine due to higher pressure. Temperatures will likely be close to average or slightly below overall, but may rise above at times in any drier, sunnier spells."