Met Office issues thunderstorm warnings for Wales

Nation.Cymru staff

The Met Office has issued thunderstorm warnings for large parts of Wales following days of intense heat.

An initial yellow alert will cover Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.

It will remain in place from 18:00 to 23:59 on Thursday (June 25).

Forecasters say many areas will miss the worst of the weather, but thunderstorms could bring disruption in places on Thursday evening.

Tomorrow the yellow warning area will expand to cover almost all of Wales, except for parts of the far west and north-west of the country.

The alert will remain in place until 10:00 on Friday (June 26).

The Met Office said areas hit by the storms could see power cuts and the loss of other services.

Where lightning strikes or flooding occurs, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

It comes amid an intense heatwave that has seen schools and businesses close.

A new record high temperature was set for June for the second day in a row as the UK swelters.

The Met Office said temperatures had reached 36.4C at Yeovilton, Somerset, on Thursday afternoon, provisionally making it the UK’s hottest June day on record.

In Wales, another record was broken when the Met Office said on Thursday that the UK record for the highest June minimum temperature has provisionally been broken, with temperatures only falling to 23.5C overnight at Bute Park, Cardiff.

Temperatures are remaining exceptionally warm at night, making it hard for people to sleep and recover from the day’s heat.