Met Office weather warning: Thunderstorms could cause flooding across Essex

The weather service has said that the warning could see flooding impact the area on Sunday night, with the warning currently active from 8pm Sunday, May 15 and 5am Monday, May 16.

What is a yellow warning for thunderstorms?

According to The Met Office, during this yellow warning, the following should be expected:

• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes or hail
• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost

The Met Office said: “Although the locations affected by thunderstorms remains uncertain, a few places may experience a combination of heavy rain, frequent lightning and hail during Sunday night. Should thunderstorms develop, they are likely to move north from the south coast during Sunday evening into parts of south Wales, southern England and East Anglia overnight before gradually weakening during Monday morning. Whilst some places will remain dry, a few places may see 20-30 mm of rain fall in less than an hour, with frequent lightning and hail additional hazards.”

Keep up to date with the warnings in your area on the Met Office website.