A yellow thunderstorm warning has been put in place for parts of the North East, as the Met Office has predicted an 'unsettled' Sunday (May 12).

Although temperatures reached 23°C for some in the region on Saturday, the Met Office has issued yellow thunderstorm warnings for Sunday.

They cover a large part of England and Wales from 12 noon until 10pm - including parts of North Yorkshire (Leyburn, Hawes, Masham), County Durham (Barnard Castle, Stanhope), alongside parts of Northumberland and Cumbria.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to break out on Sunday morning, most likely across southwest England and Wales, but possibly also across western Northern Ireland too. They’ll track steadily north through the afternoon whilst probably growing into larger clumps of rain before clearing Scotland overnight. 

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“Some intense downpours are possible in a few places, giving up to 30mm in less than hour and perhaps 40-50mm over two to three hours. Hail, frequent lightning strikes and strong wind gusts will be additional localised hazards.” 

What to Expect

  • Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
  • Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
  • Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
  • 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 possible, causing a danger to life

Asthma and thunderstorms

  • Thunderstorms can in some cases trigger asthma, causing asthma attacks and making symptoms like breathlessness, wheezing and coughing worse. Asthma and Lung UK have advice on how to protect yourself if you suffer from asthma:
  • keep managing your asthma well.
  • stay indoors before, during and after thunderstorms. It’s a good idea to keep your windows closed too.
  • if you have to go outside, wear a mask to protect yourself against pollen grains.
  • if you have hay fever, take hay fever medicines to help protect yourself against pollen.
  • always keep your reliever inhaler with you, so that you can use it to quickly treat asthma symptoms in an emergency.