MORE STORM WARNINGS FOR WEEKEND
AFTER days of volatile weather across Wales, the Met Office is predicting more thunderstorm action into the weekend.
Storms erupted again on Wednesday night, lighting up skies from Wrexham to Cardiff.
About 15,000 lightning strikes were recorded within 24 hours and torrential rain was reported across the country.
While it brought a welcome cooldown to much of the nation, building warmth will cause them to flare up again in time for the weekend.
The Met Office has issued a further two yellow weather warnings for the whole of the country into Monday.
The first warning for thunderstorms comes into effect at midnight tonight and lasts until 6am tomorrow.
According to the Met Office: “Areas of showers and thunderstorms associated with a hot and humid air mass stranded across the southern half of the UK are expected to continue through Friday, and not solely during daylight hours.”
While many areas included in the warning will miss out on the thunderstorms altogether, where they do occur, heavy rain, frequent lightning, and large hail are possible.
Downpours could yield as much as three-quarters of an inch of rain in the space of an hour, and up to nearly two inches in a two- to three-hour period.
According to forecasters, the greatest chance of impactful showers is expected to be in the southern half of the warning area, where afternoon storm systems are more likely to be slow moving and prolonged.
Homes and businesses could flood quickly in these conditions, and public transport is likely to face delays and cancellations.
Drivers should prepare for difficult conditions and the possibility of road closures.
Power cuts and disruption to other services are also expected.
Anyone hoping to get outside this weekend will find the best opportunity tomorrow, when there is expected to be a break in the thunderstorm activity.
However, the window of opportunity will be short, with a second thunderstorm warning already in place from midnight on Sunday until 9pm on Monday.
Areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop on Sunday, with some persisting into the late evening, according to the Met office.
A similar situation will play out on Monday, though the thunderstorms will be more likely to clear earlier in the evening.
Anyone heading outdoors or commuting to work will need to bring a brolly as a further one and a half inches of rain is possible in hardesthit areas. Hail, lightning and gusty winds are also in the offing.
The warnings come as a video captured shouts and screams of dismay when a house was hit by lightning.
Donna Tizzard was filming as Wednesday night’s thunderstorm hit Wrexham and captured the moment when a bolt of lightning flashed out of the sky and hit a house.
The bolt appeared to strike the top of a house nearby and caused an explosion that blew out the electric sockets.
Donna was screaming in shock as she captured the dramatic moment.
Firefighters confirmed they were called to an incident in Sunny View just after 8pm.
A fire service spokesman said:
“Lightning struck an aerial at a property in the Gwersyllt area that resulted in minor damage to the property and one person received oxygen by firefighters following the shock.”
The fire service received multiple calls for help in the Wrexham area on Wednesday night after heavy rain, thunder, and lightning.
It comes after temperatures above 34C (93F) were recorded for the sixth day in a row in parts of southern England, for the first time since at least 1961.
Maximum temperatures across Wales from today until Monday will be between 22C (72F) and 19C (66F).
Forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “It’s not often we get temperatures this high over several days, and that is triggering thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales.”