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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
William Mata

Weather: London to be battered by heavy rain as thunderstorm warning issued for southwest England

Rain is forecast for London on Saturday, but the capital is expected to avoid the thunderstorms predicted for other parts of the country.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms in parts of Wales and southwest England during the afternoon.

It warns that scattered, slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to develop, potentially causing flash flooding. Spray on roads could create dangerous driving conditions, the forecaster said.

There is a chance some communities could temporarily be cut off by flooded roads, while lightning strikes may lead to delays and cancellations to train and bus services.

Some locations could see 20-30mm of rain in an hour or two, while there is a small chance repeated shower development could result in a few places seeing 40-50mm, the Met Office said.

The warning, which covers areas including Swansea, Cardiff, Bath, Exeter and Plymouth, is in place from 1pm until 8pm.

Any showers and thunderstorms will gradually fade during Saturday evening, and much of the country will see no rain at all on Saturday, the forecaster added.

London could see rain from 5pm on Saturday although it may still be overcast for the period with sunny intervals possible. 

Aiden McGivern of the Met Office said: “There are some heavy downpours possible in London and the south east but the showers will drift westward. 

“For much of the country it is a fine afternoon. There are some sharp showers for much of the UK with as much as 50mm set to fall.”

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