The Met Office has issued a 24-hour weather warning as thunderstorms batter the district, writes Ollie Basham. The yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has come into place this lunchtime - and right on cue the storms began across the area - and remains in force until 8pm.

Weather forecasters have warned that conditions caused by heavy rain over the weekend could turn life-threatening, with showers likely to persist into next week

Stay prepared for severe weather with the latest Met Office warning. Learn about the thunderstorms and heavy rain expected across the UK.

The crack of thunder has been heard over Gloucestershire with the first of three back-to-back weather warnings being issued over the county. Today (Friday, September 20) and Saturday are covered by thunderstorm yellow alerts and Sunday is covered by a rain warning.

Large parts of England and Wales are battling gusty winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning - as thunderstorm warnings come into effect.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms covering a large area of southern England and Wales. The weather warning will last from 12pm until 8pm on Friday, before another takes its place from 1am until 11:59pm on Saturday.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued for parts of Sussex and the majority of Surrey. The Met Office warning is in place from 12pm until 8pm on Friday (September 20). It covers a proportion of West Sussex and the majority of Surrey (see the map below). East Sussex is not affected.

Lancashire is expected to remain mainly dry over the next few days despite thunderstorms battering some parts of the North West. The Met Office has issued two separate yellow weather warnings for large swathes of the country with heavy rain and strong winds expected.