Met Office issue amber weather warning for Shropshire

The Met Office say the very warm and humid airmass across the UK will become increasingly unstable tonight and through Saturday.

This will lead to the development of areas of intense thunderstorms moving northwards across the UK and affecting different areas at various times through the day.

In this situation, large amounts of energy are available in the atmosphere and this, coupled with high moisture content, can lead to torrential downpours along with frequent lightning activity, large hail and locally strong gusts.

Some areas will miss the worst of the storms whilst nearby spots experience severe downpours with some localised flooding, so the public are advised stay in touch with the latest forecasts and warnings through Saturday.

On Sunday, Shropshire should see a generally more settled day. This more settled theme is expected to continue into the start of next week, while temperatures are set to stay warmer than average for the time of year.

Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: "We have storms affecting parts of the UK from three separate sources, each having the potential to affect slightly different areas at different times of the day.

"This means a large area is at potential risk from these storms, as identified by the amber warning, but not everywhere will see them - some spots could see a relatively fine day.

"This alert identifies the area of risk and where the thunderstorms do form we could see localised flooding, as well as the risks that go with lightning and hail. We'd advise people to stay up to date with our latest forecasts and warnings as the situation progresses."

The Highways Agency, which operates and maintains motorways and major A roads in England, is working closely with the Met Office to monitor weather conditions and keep journeys safe and reliable.

Simon Sheldon-Wilson, Director of Traffic Management at the Highways Agency, said:

“With schools across the country now broken up for summer, lots of people will be taking to the roads this weekend. While this weather should not prevent people from making a journey, it’s important that drivers are aware of the forecast and drive appropriately.

“Rain and spray can reduce visibility and when the road is wet it can take up to twice as long to stop so it makes sense to slow down when it's raining and leave plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front. It’s also a good idea to check the latest conditions before setting out on a journey – it only takes a minute and can save you a lot of time if there is an incident on your route.”