Bristol weather: Met Office issues two yellow thunderstorm warnings - exact times they will hit

Two yellow weather warnings have been issued for Bristol and many other areas of England and Wales as they prepare for flooding, very heavy rain, and thunder, which could damage buildings such as homes and businesses.

A warning on the Met Office‘s website says: "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." It said there could also be disruptions to travel including road closures and train cancellations.

Met Office Meteorologist Rebecca Hudson said the risk is primarily confined to central and southern England, adding that there may be some "heavier showers" over Sunday night before clearing away on Monday, with some sunny spells possible.

"The heavier band moves through tomorrow morning and then weakens out into the afternoon but then there are some further heavy showers tomorrow night. And then as we go in overnight, things will gradually dry out into Monday morning. There will be some heavier showers overnight on Sunday into Monday, but these will gradually weaken and then Monday will be a lot drier with some sunny spells around as well.”

Met Office issue thunderstorm warnings for Bristol

According to the Met Office, the thunderstorm warning is in place from 4am on Sunday (October 23) until 5pm on Monday (October 24).  Heavy rain is likely to take place from 9am today but it should clear an hour later before another downpour at 6pm.

A second warning that comes into place for Monday is from 4am and is expected to lift by 5pm the same day, with heavy showers likely from 1pm to 2pm.

What is the Yellow weather warning?

The Met Office says yellow warnings can be issued for a range of weather situations. Many are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places.

Many people may be able to continue with their daily routine, but there will be some that will be directly impacted and so it is important to assess if you could be affected. Other yellow warnings are issued when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower.

It said: “It is important to read the content of yellow warnings to determine which weather situation is being covered by the yellow warning.” For a yellow warning for thunderstorms, the Met Office said the flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

Fast flowing or deep floodwater is also possible, causing a danger to life with a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services. Power cuts might also occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

Flood warnings for Bristol

There are currently no flood warnings in place for Bristol but some river and sea levels in the area are high and at risk of flooding. These include Bradley Brook, Tubbs Bottom, and Frampton Cotterell.