UK weather: Met Office warns hail, thunderstorms & up to 9 HOURS of rain to hit just days after 21C sunny spell
BRITS are set to be hit by hail, thunderstorms and up to nine hours of rain tomorrow following a recent sunny spell, the Met Office has warned.
After one of the warmest spring days recorded with temperatures hitting 21C, the weather will quickly turn sour.
The Met Office said: "Heavy showers have developed across eastern parts of England this afternoon, with some hail and thunder mixed in.
"Take care if you are travelling as there could be some localised flooding in places."
There is also a flood warning in place for Bourne Valley, near Salisbury, alongside 18 alerts dotted around the UK.
Thunder and lightning were already heard in North London at around 3pm today.
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And for Londoners, the excitement for the hottest day of the year will be quickly dampened with nine hours of additional rain, according to forecasters.
An onslaught of showers is forecast for Sunday afternoon, followed by light rain and a few hours of drizzle.
Met Office meteorologist Ellie Glaisyer has warned that there will be “changeable conditions” through the weekend with showers and outbreaks of rain across the UK.
Speaking about the South of England, she warned: “We are quite likely to see some showers bubbling up and these could be quite heavy and thundery in places perhaps with some hail mixed in too.
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“With those heavy downpours, there is likely to be some surface water issues so some localised flooding is possible.”
Cloudy conditions are expected to remain in London throughout the weekend, following uninterrupted sunshine earlier in the week.
But heavier downpours are expected in Scotland and Northern England.
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “Again a damp night to come for Scotland and into parts of North West England, showery rain elsewhere and a lot of cloud, increasingly thick and low cloud, affecting eastern coasts of course.
"The greatest threat of showers will be through central parts of the UK but they could also hit Wales and central and southern Scotland.
“But the focus on Sunday afternoon will be this area through the Midlands, parts of East Anglia, southern counties of England and South Wales where again some slow moving and lively showers could develop.”
However, despite the soggy conditions, temperatures are still predicted to be warm for this time of year, said forecasters.
The mercury is expected to remain well above average for the time of year at around 17C in London and other regions throughout the weekend.
Sunday's conditions will feel cooler in the North and the East because of a breeze from the North Sea.
This follows temperatures reaching 21C in some parts of Britain on Thursday, making it the warmest day of the year so far.
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It's also the highest recorded UK spring equinox temperature since 1972.
On Thursday, temperatures of 21.3°C were recorded at Northolt in London and Chertsey in Surrey.