Thunderstorm warning: North East braced for showers and lightning as Met Office issues alert

Scattered storms are expected to begin at around 3pm on Thursday, July 25 with the weather warning in force until the early hours of Friday, July 26.

Temperatures will remain warm during the rainfall, with highs of around 23°C in parts of the region.

A Met Office weather warning is awarded a colour based on a combination of the weather impact, and the likelihood of those impacts occuring.

Many Yellow warnings are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places.

Met Office forecasters have warned that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions for motorists.

There could be power cuts, damage caused by lightning strikes, hail and sudden gusts of wind. Delays to public transport are also possible.