Scotland thunderstorms weather warning in place and due to last two days

Scotland is braced for two days of thunderstorms, with forecasters warning of dangerous conditions as heavy downpours and strong gusts sweep across the country.

The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings. The first covers large parts of Scotland on Wednesday, coming into effect at 2pm and lasting until midnight. A second alert then takes over on Thursday, extending to the entirety of Scotland and remaining in force until 10pm.

Forecasters say sudden flooding could hit hard and fast, disrupting travel on roads and rail. There is a "small chance" of life-threatening fast and deep floodwater, while ferry routes are also expected to be disrupted. Lightning strikes are possible, power could be cut to homes and businesses, and floodwater may damage buildings.

Rainfall could be intense and arrive in short, sharp bursts. On Wednesday, up to 30mm could fall in less than an hour in some spots, with as much as 50mm overall locally. Conditions remain volatile on Thursday, with further rainfall of up to 40mm in under an hour forecast, and up to 60mm in an hour possible across central and eastern Scotland later in the day.

The geographic spread is wide. Wednesday's warning takes in the whole of central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, Grampian and the Highlands and Islands, South West Scotland, Lothian and the Borders, the East and large parts of the West. All but six council areas will be hit by Wednesday's warning, while the whole of Scotland is affected on Thursday.

The unsettled spell follows soaring temperatures, with Scotland experiencing its third heatwave of the summer. Speaking about the heat, STV weather presenter Philip Petrie said: "The average temperature for Scotland at this time of year is 17C, so it's incredible that we will be seeing temperatures in some parts of the country reaching as high as 12C above that average over the next couple of days," said STV weather presenter Philip Petrie.

"We haven't quite reached heatwave criteria yet, in order for that to happen we need Dyce in Aberdeenshire to reach 25c or above on Wednesday.

The thundery breakdown is being driven by a shift in pressure patterns and the lingering heat. As Petrie explained: "We are now starting to see the influence of low pressure drifting in from the west that is bringing with it more instability - so combining that with the current heat it is sparking off the potential of thunderstorms.

"It is important to note most places will stay dry, not everyone within the warning area will see a thunderstorm, but where they do occur they could cause disruption.

"Into Friday, high pressure builds once again from the Atlantic, settling things down and keeping things mostly fine and dry as we head into the weekend, but it also cuts off the southerly airflow so we will start to see temperatures dropping off."

With the risk of flooding, lightning and travel disruption, the advice is to keep an eye on the warnings, expect difficult conditions in places, and allow extra time if you need to travel. Roads and rail could be affected at short notice, and some ferry services may also be impacted during the worst of the downpours.

While not everyone in the warning areas will see a storm, any that do form could be intense and sudden, bringing hazardous surface water and the chance of power interruptions. The most concentrated bursts are expected later on Thursday in central and eastern parts, but heavy showers and gusty winds are possible more widely across both days.

The picture should improve into Friday as high pressure rebuilds, bringing a calmer and drier setup into the weekend and easing back the recent heat. Until then, the twin warnings remain in place, with the potential for sharp deluges, sporadic lightning and a messy couple of days on the transport network.