Northern Ireland: weather warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms with possible disruption

The yellow warning will be in place throughout Thursday until 10pm with the Met Office advising whilst some places will remain dry, heavier downpours could cause disruption.

"Whilst not all areas will be affected, heavy showers and thunderstorms may develop in places during the early hours of Thursday and into Thursday morning, perhaps merging into some larger areas of rain,” the Met Office stated.

"Where heavy downpours occur, 20-40 mm of rain could accumulate in less than an hour, bringing the risk of some surface water flooding. Hail and lightning will be additional hazards."

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The Met Office added that further scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to develop on Thursday afternoon and evening across portions of central and eastern Scotland in particular.

The public is advised to expect the following:

• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures;
• There is a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads;
• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services;
• There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost;
• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds;
• There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.