Watch: Freak hailstorm hits Trawsfynydd as weather warning announced

Parts of North Wales have been experiencing hail, rain and thunder in the last 24 hours, amid warnings issued by the Met Office.

Earlier this week, the Met Office had been considering if the incoming weather should come equipped with a warning and on Friday it did indeed issue a yellow thunderstorm warning for North Wales which is in place until later this morning.

Residents of Trawsfynydd were surprised last night as a sudden hailstorm descended on what had been a pleasant enough June day.

Siop Glyndŵr, a family owned convenience store and Post Office, right in the heart of Trawsfynydd, shared a video of the shocking weather turnaround on Facebook which happened between 6 and 7pm on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, in Criccieth exceptional rainfall hit the town affecting homes and businesses, leading to North Wales Police urging people to steer clear of the area while the fire service worked to divert water in the town as drains were blocked and roads closed.

The sudden and unseasonal conditions were as a result of a combination of an unstable atmosphere and converging surface winds, likely aided by a sea breeze, according to a tweet by the Met Office.

92mm of rain has fallen in around six hours in the town of #Criccieth

A combination of an unstable atmosphere and converging surface winds, likely aided by a sea breeze, has led to the development of slow-moving thunderstorms in NW Wales and locally exceptional rainfall totals pic.twitter.com/M2odKBgmuz

— Met Office (@metoffice) June 3, 2022

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Andy Page, said: “Many places within the warning areas are unlikely to see a thunderstorm at all, but those places that do see one could well see impacts from heavy rain and frequent lightning strikes.”

“On Saturday few places could see up to 20 – 30 mm of rain within an hour, with a small chance of 50 mm in 2 to 3 hours, most likely near the south coast.

“The risk of thunderstorms eases as we go through Saturday morning. However, as this band of warm air continues to push further north across the UK there is a risk of more thunderstorms and heavy downpours on Sunday.”

Traffic problems

As the Jubilee weekend falls on the last weekend of the half term holiday in many areas, travellers are being warned to expect delays and possible traffic problems on the roads.

RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “The fact the bank holidays coincide with the end of half-term in many places has the potential to put some extra pressure on the road network, so planning a journey carefully is important to beat the worst of any queues.

“The best way for drivers to avoid breaking down this week is to check over their vehicles before setting out – yet our research shows less than a fifth do this routinely.

“Making sure oil, coolant and screenwash are all at the right levels takes just minutes, as does ensuring tyres are free of damage and are inflated properly. A bit of TLC now could make the difference between a straightforward trip and one beset by a breakdown.”