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Thunderstorm warnings issued for large parts of UK after soaring temperature

August 11, 2024
DD

Temperatures skyrocketing this weekend, severe weather warnings for thunderstorms have been issued for a significant portion of the United Kingdom.

On Monday, meteorologists issued yellow warnings for parts of northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, cautioning that the storms might bring disruptions and damage to buildings.

The Met Office said "sudden flooding" could lead to road closures and there was a "slight chance that power cuts could occur".

The warning for northern England and Scotland is in place from 2am on Monday until 1pm that day, while the alert for Northern Ireland begins after midnight until 7am.

It comes as much of the UK enjoys hot weather this weekend, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 33C.

The hot spell is partly due to Storm Debby, which battered parts of the south of the US earlier this week.

The tropical weather works to strengthen the jet stream - a core of strong winds in the atmosphere which has a significant influence on UK weather - causing it to meander in the Atlantic.

That, weather experts say, is causing hot air to rush into the UK this weekend and early next week.

The Met Office said: "We could see highs in the low to mid 30s Celsius in the southeast come Monday."

By Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures are expected to return to average.

The rise in temperature is not considered a heatwave, the Met Office said, as temperatures need to exceed a specific threshold over three consecutive days in order to meet the criteria.