Two yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and flash flooding issued by the Met Office; the alerts cover the Highlands and most parts of Scotland; Northern Ireland, Wales and much of England affected by the same alerts
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THUNDERSTORMS could batter parts the Highlands overnight from Thursday, the Met Office has warned.
Forecasters have issued two separate yellow alerts, with the first covering the entire west of mainland Scotland and the Hebrides. It will come into effect from 4pm on Thursday and remain in place until 9am on Friday.
In the Highlands, the area affected runs from Loch Ness westward and the western ends of the Cromarty and Dornoch firths.
A second warning, covering all of the Highlands, will follow on Friday.
"Whilst many places will be dry or see little rain, thunderstorms may cause flooding and disruption in a few places," said a Met Office spokesman.
"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.
"Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
"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."
The second of the two warnings for thunderstorms will come into force at midday on Friday and run until 6am on Saturday. It will cover virtually all of mainland Scotland, as well as Orkney and parts of Mull and Skye. Much of England will also be covered by the same alert, bar the far south and south-west.
