Weather warning issued – thunderstorms on the way
RISK OF TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS AND LOCALISED FLOODING OVER NEXT FOUR DAYS
THE Met Office has issued a yellow alert warning of thunderstorms and torrential rain over the next few days.
The city and county have been told to expect a period of unsettled conditions, including isolated storms and downpours, lasting until Monday.
Forecasters for the national weather service predict a marked deterioration in the outlook for Friday and Saturday, with much of the region – along with the West Midlands, north of England, North Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland – warned there will be a risk of flooding to homes and businesses, and road closures due to difficult driving conditions.
The Met Office said: “Heavy showers are expected across much of the UK on Friday.
“Within the warning area these showers and thunderstorms will be slow-moving and may cause localised surface water impacts.
“Rainfall totals will vary considerably and not all locations will be affected by the heaviest showers.
“However, where the showers do occur there is potential for 20 to 30mm of rain in a short space of time and during the course of the day there is a chance that some places could see as much as 80 to 100mm build up.”
Weatherman Phil Morrish, from Rothley, who has been monitoring conditions from his weather station in Mountsorrel, said the stormy outlook will continue over the weekend.
“What we’ve got at the moment is a period of relatively high pressure siting over the Midlands, with the mercury gauge reaching 23C (73.4F) in Leicestershire yesterday,” he said.
“But we’ve got a low pressure system moving in from the Atlantic from Thursday.
“This is going to give us quite a lot of rain – up to 20mm – and strong winds of up to 30mph. It will continue into Friday, while the weekend will also bring some heavy showers and thunderstorms.
“There is going to be a low pressure system sitting over us, with stormy conditions spiralling around it, meaning it will last for up to four days, from late today through to Monday.”
Phil said temperatures will hover around 19C (66.2F) during this period.
“This unsettled weather will continue for a while but from Monday it will start to get a bit better when we’re likely to see a ridge of high pressure return,” he said.
“The following days will improve further, with the type of weather we would normally expect in August returning.
“The last third of the month will see a period of much warmer weather – typically, just in time for the return of children to school.”
The Met Office concurs, stating that the wet start to August is set to improve by the middle of the month, when conditions will look look drier and warmer.
Thunderstorms hit the county last week as Storm Evert battered parts of the country, producing ferocious gusts of winds close to 70mph.