Severe weather warning for the West Midlands as storms head for the region
The West Midlands has been warned to prepare for hail, thunder and lightning as storms return this evening.
A severe weather warning has been issued for the region, where violent storms and torrential rain could cause flash flooding and disruption similar to that seen earlier this week.
Thursday's early morning fog was expected to burn away and be replaced by sunny spells and temperatures of up 24C in the afternoon before stormy skies move in from around 3pm.
The Met Office said that thunderstorms were likely to affect only isolated areas, but warned that in these areas lightning could affect power supplies while flash flooding was likely to cause dangerous travel conditions.
The weather agency put out a yellow 'be aware' rain warning for the West Midlands - valid from 3pm on Thursday until 6pm on Friday - and warned people to plan ahead, expect disruption and to keep checking the latest weather forecasts.
With some areas expected to be pummelled by between 30 and 40mm of rain, flooding could return just two days after downpours brought treacherous conditions to much of the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Roads were under water in Willenhall, Wednesfield and Eccleshall on Tuesday evening, while rain creeped through the ceiling of the new H&M at Stafford's Riverside complex and thunder and lightning wreaked havoc elsewhere.
One lightning bolt hit and destroyed an electricity pylon in Dudley, while travellers at Birmingham Airport and on the Midland Metro had to contend with delays and diversions due to power outages.
Heavy fog and mist made for a difficult commute on Thursday morning until the air cleared and visibility increased midway through the morning.
And drivers were warned to prepare for another challenging journey home this evening as gloomy skies and storms roll in from mid-afternoon.
The Met Office warned it was difficult to predict where the storms would hit, but said that showers, thunder and hail were all likely to hit isolated parts of the Black Country and Staffordshire on Thursday evening and Friday morning, before moving westwards throughout Friday afternoon.
A Met Office spokesman said: "Slow-moving thunderstorms may develop later today, leading to locally torrential downpours with the risk of hail and frequent lightning.
"Please be aware that whilst many places will miss them, there is the risk of flash flooding where they do occur."
The outlook for the weekend is brighter, however, with fine a dry weather forecast to return on Saturday before outbreaks of rain on Sunday.
