The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in Essex, which will be in place on Wednesday, July 20.

Forecasters have issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across much of eastern England.

It is expected to last from 1pm to 9pm, and covers the whole county, as well as Norfolk, Suffolk, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and other areas of central England.

The weather warning comes just a day after temperatures in the high 30s have battered Essex and much of the UK.

What do weather warnings mean?

In terms of what to expect the Met Office said:

  • 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

In a statement on the weather warning the Met Office stated: "Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across central, southern and eastern parts of England on Wednesday afternoon.

"Whilst most places will see only small amounts of rain there is a chance of some isolated heavy downpours and lightning. Where these occur a few sites could see 20-30 mm in an hour and 50 mm in 3 hours."