Thunderstorm disruption forecast as warning issued

A warning for thunderstorms has been issued across parts of England and Wales including Devon and Cornwall.

The Met Office said the warning would be active between 09:00 and 18:00 BST on Saturday and cover an area from England's south coast to the Midlands along with parts of South Wales.

The warning said heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to some disruption to transport and affect journey times by car, train and bus.

Forecasters said the conditions were expected for much of Saturday before fading from the west during the mid to late afternoon.

The warning covers the whole of Devon and spreads into East Cornwall including Bude, Launceston and Callington.

The Met Office said more persistent rain and showers would arrive in the South West on Friday evening before heading to the east overnight.

Its forecast added it would become windy in the South West by dawn on Saturday.

The Met Office said 10-15mm (1-1.5cm) of rain could fall in less than an hour while some areas could have 30-40mm (3-4cm) of rainfall over several hours with "successive showers and thunderstorms".

It added the stormy conditions which might include hail could cause short-term loss of power and damage to buildings from lightning strikes.

"Frequent lightning, hail and strong, gusty winds will be additional hazards," the Met Office said.

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