Met Office nine-hour thunderstorm warning for Somerset

The Met Office has issued fresh warnings for thunderstorms for parts of Somerset. Forecast for Tuesday, the nine-hour alert encapsulates southern Somerset, covering Taunton, Chard and Ilminster.

The warning comes into force at midday on Tuesday and lasts until 9pm that same day. The meteorological service has alerted locals that thunderstorms are likely to form in certain spots on Tuesday afternoon, potentially causing travel disruption and surface water flooding.

Some regions may even witness a deluge of 50mm within merely three hours, according to their forecasts.

Adding further, an official spokesperson mentioned: "Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop during the afternoon across parts of south west England before slowly dying out during the evening. Many places will miss the worst, but where they do develop, some slow-moving and intense downpours are possible, giving accumulations of 20-30 mm in around 1 hour, and a lower likelihood of 40-50 mm in 2-3 hours in a few locations. Frequent lightning strikes and hail are also possible."

Five-day forecast for South West England

Today:.

Early morning low-lying clouds and coastal mist will steadily dissipate and make way for plentiful bright patches and occasional light showers in the afternoon. Given the moderate winds, the sunshine is expected to make temperatures pleasantly warm.

Maximum temperature 22 C.

Tonight:.

A lovely evening awaits with warm sunny spells. The nocturnal phase promises to be dry with clear episodes interspersed with few patches of low cloud and fog developing towards the break of day.

Minimum temperature 6 C.

Tuesday:.

The early morning low cloud is expected to clear, leaving sunny spells with scattered showers developing into the afternoon. These could potentially turn heavy or even thundery at times, with a maximum temperature of 21 C.

Looking ahead from Wednesday to Friday, we can expect further showers interspersed with bright or sunny spells. Showers may become thundery on Thursday and Friday, with temperatures staying slightly above average for this time of year.