NI weather warning of storms and possible flooding
- Published
Lightning over Belfast, photographed by a weather watcher in late July
Thunderstorms are forecast for Thursday, following several days of well above-average temperatures.
The Met Office has issued a warning from 10:00 BST to 20:00 BST on Thursday across Northern Ireland.
Many areas will miss the most intense storms but torrential downpours are expected in a few places.
Flooding is possible where rain is heaviest with some parts potentially having 20-30mm of rain in less than an hour, and up to 40mm in two hours.
As a result, some homes and business could be affected by floodwater while travel disruption could occur due to poor conditions.
The showers will be more widespread through the first part of Thursday, before beginning to ease later in the evening.
A dramatic scene over Cloughfern, Newtownabbey, captured during a previous thunderstorm on 27 July
In the Republic of Ireland, a warning has also been issued across all counties from 09:00 local time on Wednesday until noon on Thursday.
Met Éireann, Ireland's National Meteorological Service, is warning of scattered heavy and thundery downpours with flooding possible where rain is heaviest.