A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued for central England, which covers northern Hampshire.

The Met Office has issued the warning, which is expected to last from 12pm to 10pm today (Wednesday, July 20).

Basingstoke is in that area, along with other Hampshire locations such as Winchester, Andover, Thatcham, Tadley, Alton and Overton.

The full map of the warning can be found on the Met Office website here.

What do different weather warnings mean?

Much of England is expected to be affected by thunderstorms, including up just beyond Sheffield and most of eastern England.

In terms of what to expect the Met Office said:

  • Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
  • Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
  • There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost

In a statement, the Met Office said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across central, southern and eastern parts of England on Wednesday afternoon. Whilst many places will only see relatively small amounts of rain, some slow-moving torrential downpours are possible.

“Where these occur, 20-30 mm is possible in an hour and in a few spots more than 50 mm could fall in 3 hours. Lightning will be an additional hazard, most likely over southern England.”