UK weather: Four days of thunderstorms to bring more danger and not relief after country scorched on weekend of wildfires | UK News

Meteorologists warn that the UK is facing several days of thunderstorms after a hot weekend that saw many parts of the country grapple with bushfires – but a change in weather could bring more danger than relief, meteorologists warn.

Lack of rain and high temperatures have caused drought has turned much of the country’s landscape from green to brown and yellow.

An amber heat warning remains in place on Sunday, as temperatures in parts of the UK remain at 30 degrees Celsius in the north.

Severe fires were reported in parts of London, Kent and Essex over the past two days, while weather also led to incidents. people have difficulty swimming in lakes, rivers and seas.

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Fire and rescue services have dealt with a large number of wildfires across the country, especially in the Southeast, where there has been little rain since January.

Some services have described the recent demand as “unprecedented”, with Dorset reporting that in the first 10 days of August it attended 180 bushfires – compared with just 34 last year.

And the four days of thunderstorms expected next week aren’t likely to abate much.

Instead, the driest conditions in nearly 50 years, with water levels in the reservoirs clearly lower and Official drought declared in eight regions of England on Saturday, can lead to flooding.

Thunderstorms are likely to bring significant rainfall, but could be too early.

Geographers and meteorologists say that the best type of rain to bring the earth out of aridity would be light drizzle.

The Met Office warned, rather than seeping into the terracotta ground, the expected downpours could lead to large amounts of water running over the surface – potentially causing sudden flooding and even flooding. power cut.

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There’s a thunder alert to start the week

Dan Stroud, Met Office forecaster, explains that “rain from downpours won’t be able to seep into the terracotta very quickly”.

He added: “It’s very difficult for water to actually get in because it has to push air out of the soil. So the dry ground will very quickly be overwhelmed, and then we will be stripped from the surface. “.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms, saying they could cause significant disruption on Monday across all but the north of the UK.

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“Sudden water spray and flooding can lead to difficult driving conditions and some roads being closed,” it said.

“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could flood quickly, with some buildings damaged by floodwaters, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

“In areas where flooding or lightning strikes are likely to occur, delays and some bus and train services are likely to be cancelled.

“There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services for some homes and businesses could be lost.”

The yellow thunderstorm warning will drop south throughout the week, affecting only England on Tuesday and then the south of England on Wednesday.

No warnings were issued for Thursday.