Thunderstorms are forecast over the coming days – and the Met Office is warning you to be prepared pioblo/sxc.hu
UPDATED: Plans for summer fetes and soirées will be a wash out this weekend if violent thunderstorms arrive, just days after thunder could hit the Thames Valley.
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning ahead of Saturday – predicting a day of thundery showers that could result in more flooding. At the moment, the whole day is predicted to be a washout, putting paid plans for many fun events.
There will be some sunshine between the showers and the temperature is currently forecast to be around 20ºC. It comes at the end of an unsettled week.
On its website, the Met Office amber alert for Saturday says: “Thundery downpours are expected to affect parts of England, Wales and southern counties of Scotland during Saturday.
“The public should be aware of the potential for localised flooding due to the intensity of these storms, although at this stage the location of the heaviest rainfall is uncertain.”
The Met Office predicts the storm to hit around 10am, while AccuWeather is suggesting there could be two at 2pm and 4pm, with sunshine in between.
And, being an advance forecast, it may come to nothing.
AccuWeather yesterday forecast thunderstorms today, around 11am, 3pm and 6pm – but this has since been downgraded to match the Met Office, which is just predicting heavy rain.
Events planned for Saturday include a school fair at All Saints Infant School in Reading, a ramble planned by Christ Church in Woodley and an afternoon of music in the Mill Meadow Bandstand in Henley.
The Met Office has a webpage offering advice for what to do during a storm, including suggesting unplugging of all non-essential appliances including the television in case there is a power surge.
If you are out in the rain, you should seek shelter. The website says: “When you hear thunder you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur, lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm.”
If you find yourself in an exposed location and feel your hair stand on end, the Met Office encourages you to “squat close to the ground, with hands on knees and with head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of the ground with your body as possible, do not lie down on the ground.”
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 4 to update latest forecasts.
Last modified on Wednesday, 04 June 2014 08:53
