Weather warnings have been issued across the UK ahead of the Wimbledon finals this weekend.
Yellow weather warnings for wind are in place for large parts of the south of England and south Wales, with Scotland and Northern Ireland facing a yellow warning for thunderstorms.
Large areas of the UK could be hit by thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, the Met Office said, with the latest weather maps showing the UK surrounded by rain.
Wimbledon organisers announced on Twitter to fans that the ticket queue would be closed on Saturday due to the yellow weather warning of wind.
The warning for strong gusts of wind is in place until midnight on Saturday, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have a thunderstorm warning until 11pm.
The Met Office has warned people to stay “weather aware” while the Wimbledon organisers advised guests heading to the tennis courts to dress “appropriately” and “come prepared for the inclement weather”.
Tom Morgan, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “For the middle part of July we’re seeing quite unseasonably unsettled weather.
“Temperatures will widely be in the high teens or low 20s, which is average for the time of year but the weather comes with strong winds.
“We’ve got quite strong winds today across southern areas where we will potentially see gusts as high as 55mph bringing some minor disruption and damage to trees, for example, particularly in south Wales and southern parts of England.
“We’ve also got some thunderstorms, which are moving through quite quickly in the south because of the wind, but the thunderstorms in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be much slower.
“There are many outdoor events expected to take place this weekend, we do urge you, wherever you are, to keep an eye on the forecast and leave plenty of time for your journeys because the weather may well cause some disruption from either strong winds or thunder and heavy rain.”
The M4 was hit with flooding on Saturday morning as wind and rain hit south Wales.
Traffic Wales said junction 43 at Llandarcy was flooded with a 30mph speed limit introduced and a village in Wales also experienced a landslide as a result of the conditions.
Morgan said: “For Wimbledon in particular we have the women’s singles final today [Saturday]. There is a risk of showers and potentially thunderstorms for the final today but perhaps the greatest impact will be the strength of the wind today.”
Sunday is expected to be less windy but showers will continue for parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a risk of thunder, while farther south there will be a mix of sunny spells and showers.
#Wind #thunder #warnings #issued #large #parts #weather
