A weather warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office for the South West.

The yellow warning comes into effect from midday today and will run until 10pm.

The Met Office says: “Heavy showers will develop with isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening.

“These will bring the potential for lightning, hail and heavy rain, with a few places seeing 10-20 mm of rain within an hour and a small chance of 40 mm in 2-3 hours.

“Showers are likely to weaken over parts of Wales and the southwest of England during Thursday evening but will persist longer in parts of central England and the Midlands.”

Meteorologists warn that driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.

The weather may cause delays to train services, some power cuts and localised flooding.

What to expect:

:: Driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus

:: Delays to train services

:: Some short-term loss of power and other services

:: Some flooding of a few homes and businesses, leading to some damage to buildings or structures

:: Some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes