Edinburgh weather: Met Office issues yellow thunderstorm warning as lightning forecast

Thunderstorms, lightning and hail set to hit Edinburgh

Thunder and lighting are likely to cause travel disruption as storms batter Edinburgh today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, which will be in place from 1pm to 8pm on Wednesday, May 10. The warning covers much of Scotland, including Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian.

The weather forecaster said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms likely to cause some disruption to travel”. The Met Office also warned that buildings and structures could be damaged by lightning strikes. Train services may be delayed as a result of the weather, and driving conditions could be affected, resulting in longer car and bus journey times.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms for Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The weather forecaster wrote on their website: “Scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms will develop through this afternoon across much of central and eastern areas of Scotland, parts of central, eastern and southeastern England and southern areas of Northern Ireland, before easing during the evening. Where heavy showers develop, 15 mm of rain could fall within an hour and possibly 25-30 mm in 2-3 hours where showers become slow moving, along with lightning and hail."

According to the forecast for Edinburgh, the heavy downpour will fall mostly between 1pm and 3pm and again at 7pm. The rain is expected to ease by this evening, with the forecast for the rest of the week predicting dry and mild weather. Areas in South-West England, including Devon and Somerset, have been hit by flash-flooding and mudslides amidst the thunderstorm warnings.