Met Office issues two yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms in Birmingham - what to expect

The people of Birmingham will be waking up to some stormy conditions this morning and it won’t be clearing away anytime soon. According to the Met Office, the region can expect heavy rain and thunderstorms until tomorrow evening.

The national weather service has put two yellow weather warnings in place - the first covering the rest of today until 2am tomorrow, and the second predicting a similar picture for Monday, with the alert in place from 4am to 2am. A spokesperson for the Met Office said the wet and stormy conditions may lead to “flooding and disruption” in some areas but they have also provided guidance on what to do in a thunderstorm to keep yourself safe.

People are urged to avoid activities such as golf, rod fishing or boating on a lake but if you do find yourself caught outside you should avoid water and find a low-lying open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles or metal objects. This is because metal can conduct or attract lightning, turning innocuous items such as umbrellas, bicycles, pushchairs, and fencing into a hazard.

The Met Office says: “If you find yourself in an exposed location it may be advisable to squat close to the ground, with hands on knees and with head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of the ground with your body as possible, do not lie down on the ground. If you feel your hair stand on end, drop to the above position immediately.”

One final piece of advice offered by the meteorological experts is, while most people opt for a mobile nowadays, for those who do still use a landline, you should only use it in an emergency, until the storm has passed, as telephone lines can also conduct electricity.

Met Office weather forecast for Birmingham

The outlook for Birmingham today is for heavy rain followed by sunny spells and some showers. During today, locally heavy rain will move north through the morning and you should expect it to be windy with strong gusts and thunder a possibility. Conditions should turn drier into the afternoon with some sunny spells and isolated showers, feeling warm for the time of year with maximum temperatures of 18°C.

Overnight it should stay mostly dry with patchy cloud and light winds. Under clear skies you might find patchy mist and fog will likely develop towards dawn. A mild night for this time of year is predicted with temperatures falling to around 8°C.

Yellow weather warning for thunderstorms - what to expect

The Met Office has put together a list of disruptions which could occur while the weather warnings are in place. Here’s what you should be looking out for:

• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds
• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
• There is a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads
• There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost