Met Office issues rare AMBER thunderstorm warning as millions face 'danger to life'

The Met Office has issued a rare weather warning as thunderstorms could cause "danger to life" in a matter of hours.

The agency has warned millions of Brits that "areas of heavy rain" will crash down over the southeast this weekend with "embedded thunderstorms" set to gradually move north throughout the day. At its height, the weather system could pour out up to four inches of rainfall over the area, dramatically raising the flash flooding risk and creating "significant impacts", especially over urban centres. The southeast isn't the only part of the country currently on notice though, with a host of yellow weather alerts impacting millions of people living from the south to north coast of the UK.

The amber warning states: "Areas of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move northwards during the early hours of Saturday, with torrential downpours in places.

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"Accumulations of 20 to 40mm (0.7 to 1.5 inches) are possible in one hour, and where heavy downpours persist then as much as 70 to 100mm (2.7 to four inches) could accumulate in just a few hours. Significant impacts are possible if this occurs over more urban areas.

"The more widespread heavy rain should clear to the north during Saturday morning, but additional scattered heavy showers and a few thunderstorms could develop during Saturday afternoon and early evening, this risk covered by the much larger Yellow thunderstorm warning."

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