Yellow warning issued as Met Office warns of seven-hour downpours and flood risk

Yellow warning issued as Met Office warns of seven-hour downpours and flood risk The deluge is set to begin at 2pm this afternoon with residents warned to prepare for potential flooding, power cuts and travel chaos as heavy rain and thunder lash parts of the UK Brits have been warned to brace themselves for torrential downpours as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain today. Residents have been warned to prepare for potential flooding, power cuts and travel chaos as heavy rain and thunder was forecast for some areas. The deluge is set to begin at around 2pm this afternoon battering parts of Scotland until 9pm in the evening - the yellow weather warning was announced shortly after 10am this morning. A Met Office forecast said: "Following rain overnight and this morning, which could be heavy at times, showers are expected to break out this afternoon which are likely to be slow-moving. A few places could see 20 mm in an hour, and there is a chance that the odd location could see 30-40mm in 2-3 hours. This may lead to some localised flooding and travel disruption across parts of central Scotland. “The heaviest showers may be accompanied by thunder but showers will tend to steadily fade through the evening." Central, Tayside and Fife, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde are covered by the yellow warning, which tells of potential transport disruptions this afternoon. “Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer; Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer; Flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible; Some interruption to power supplies and other services possible,” the Met Office said. Residents in 20 areas across Scotland have been warned to prepare for the downpour, with residents warned to gather torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items ahead of any potential power cuts. The Scotland warning comes as people in Northern Ireland have also been urged to plan ahead as thunderstorms and heavy rainfall will hit the region today. A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office covering most of the country. Overall temperatures have returned to normal for the time of year following intense heatwaves last week which saw the mercury rise to 37C in some parts of England. From Tuesday and into the midweek, conditions are forecast to turn more changeable, with showers or longer spells of rain - heaviest and most frequent in the north and west. While the south and southeast stay mostly drier and often warm. Some of the showers on Tuesday will be thundery and there is potential for a thunderstorm warning to be issued. However the heatwave conditions may be set to make a comeback by the end of the week with 30C predicted for some parts of the UK this weekend. Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Tony Wisson said: “The forecast for this weekend suggests that temperatures could approach high 20s°C across parts of England, perhaps 30°C in parts of the southeast, with values of mid to high 20s°C in Wales. “Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas, the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low.” All the areas covered by today’s yellow weather warning for rain Central, Tayside & Fife - Clackmannanshire - Falkirk - Fife - Perth and Kinross - Stirling SW Scotland, Lothian Borders - Edinburgh - Scottish Borders - West Lothian Strathclyde - Argyll and Bute - East Ayrshire - East Dunbartonshire - East Renfrewshire - Glasgow - Inverclyde - North Ayrshire - North Lanarkshire - Renfrewshire - South Ayrshire - South Lanarkshire - West Dunbartonshire