THE threat of ‘frequent’ thunder and lightning storms across the north west has been extended by forecasters.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the region, which also includes heavy rain and hail following ‘extreme heat’ over the past week.

Carrying the service’s ‘danger to life’ alert, the warning is now in force and will remain in place through to midnight tomorrow, Tuesday.

Forecasters say there is a risk that 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’, while some communities might become cut off if roads flood.

Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services, with spray and sudden flooding causing difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Northwich Guardian:

Moreover, power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely across much of England and Wales.

“The extent of these thunderstorms will be more widespread than on Monday, though some spots will still miss storms and remain dry.

“It is possible that 20 to 30mm of rain could fall within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 50mm in less than three hours.

“There is a chance that higher totals could occur in a few spots over the course of the day, with hail and frequent lightning likely additional hazards for some places.

“There remains some uncertainty at this stage in regional and county level focus.”