Scotland is braced for three days of weather chaos – with forecasters warning of torrential rain and thunderstorms.
The Met Office have issued a yellow warning ahead of the disruption – which comes into force in the west of the country from 4pm on Thursday.
By Friday, the alert covers the entire country – and is set to last until 6am on Saturday morning.
But it's not all bad news. The thunderstorms are as a result of some hot weather - with temperatures as high as 28C expected in some parts of the country.
According to STV's forecaster Sean Batty, Central Scotland, Moray and the north Highlands will experience the best of the weather - possibly threatening Scotland's current 28.9C 2020 high.
The thunderstorms are expected to be isolated on Thursday, becoming more widespread on Friday with poor weather continuing into the weekend.
Met Office forecasters warn of the potential for homes and businesses to be flooded quickly as a result of the downpours, with damage to some buildings likely from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
As a result of the dangerous conditions, there is a chance of delays and cancellations to train and bus services – with difficult driving conditions and road closures also expected across the country.
Power cuts are also likely in some areas, with forecasters warning of a “small chance” that some communities may become cut off by flooded roads.
A Met Office statement reads: “Thunderstorms may develop across parts of western UK late on Thursday afternoon and into the evening.
“A larger area of thunderstorms is then expected to move north-eastwards overnight into Friday.”
In some areas, torrential downpours could bring up to 30-50mm of rain in less than two hours.
The #UKHeatwave started yesterday, and will continue today and tomorrow with max temps in the high twenties or low thirties for many 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/dXVklpHrh9
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 24, 2020
The statement continues: “Lightning and hail are also likely to be additional hazards.
“The storms will slowly clear north-eastwards on Friday night, perhaps not clearing northeast Scotland until Saturday morning.”
The warnings here come as parts of England experience a heatwave - with temperatures there reaching more than 30C.
Experts down south are having to warn of the health risks of the heatwave, with UV levels set to be “exceptionally high” over the next couple of days.
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