A WEATHER warning has been upgraded to amber with heavy rain, strong winds and even large hail stones expected to bombard Worcestershire imminently. 

The Met Office has now upgraded its weather warning from yellow to amber for Worcestershire, including Worcester, Malvern, Pershore, Evesham and Droitwich. 

 

The warning is in place from now until 7pm tonight with the possibility hail stones 4cm in diameter could hammer down in Worcestershire very soon, posing a 'significant danger' to anyone out of doors.

A Met Office spokesperson said flooding of homes and businesses is likely and could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

They added: "Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are likely

"Spray and sudden flooding probably leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Some communities are likely to become temporarily cut off if roads flood.

"Power cuts are likely to occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost."

Speaking in more detail about the weather system, a spokesperson said: "A cluster or line of very active thunderstorms is moving towards the northwest from Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire towards the West Midlands.

These will bring a period of exceptionally heavy rainfall with 30-40mm falling in around 30 minutes, perhaps around 60mm in an hour for some locations.

"Frequent lightning strikes, winds that may gust to 45 mph, and some large hail stones perhaps up to 4cm in diameter will also accompany the storms. Surface water flooding may happen very quickly, likely disrupting travel and flooding some properties (especially in urban areas).

"Lightning, strong winds and hail will all pose a significant danger to those outdoors. The ultimate northwestern extent of this area remains somewhat uncertain."