{"id":27529,"date":"2026-05-03T07:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T07:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/27529\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T07:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T07:56:27","slug":"met-office-advice-to-avoid-using-landline-as-22-uk-counties-face-thunderstorms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/27529\/","title":{"rendered":"Met Office advice to ‘avoid using landline’ as 22 UK counties face thunderstorms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Met Office weather forecasters say ‘hail and thunder’ are possible in parts of England and Wales later today as the Bank Holiday weekend turns miserable for many<\/p>\n

08:20, 03 May 2026Updated 08:28, 03 May 2026<\/p>\n

\"Lightning<\/p>\n

Thunderstorms are on the cards in 22 areas this evening (stock)(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Thunderstorms and hail are possible in some parts of the UK today, despite temperatures surging to 26C earlier in the week.<\/p>\n

The Met Office<\/a> forecast says conditions today will be \u201cwet across northeast England and southern Scotland<\/a>\u201d to begin with, while \u201chail and thunder<\/a>\u201d are possible in southern England and Wales. It is expected to \u201cfeel humid\u201d for many.<\/p>\n

Heading into this evening, the Met Office says showers will largely subside overnight before conditions turn \u201cmainly dry\u201d. \u201cChilly\u201d weather<\/a> is expected in the north where frost<\/a> could develop in rural areas.<\/p>\n

Weather<\/a> mapping service Ventusky shows there is a possibility of thunderstorms<\/a> across a large swathe of southern England and Wales at around 7pm this evening. The data suggests they are possible in 22 counties\/principal areas.<\/p>\n

\"UK<\/p>\n

Areas facing thunderstorms in the UK this evening(Image: Ventusky)<\/p>\n

READ MORE: UK weather maps show shock snow will hit 26 counties across two days \u2013 full list<\/a>READ MORE: Met Office forecasts 26C as UK hotter than Zante \u2013 maps reveal exactly where<\/a>UK counties facing thunderstorms on SundayWalesRadnorshireBrecknockshireGlamorganMonmouthshireCeredigionCarmarthenshireEnglandHerefordshireGloucestershireCornwallDevonSomersetDorsetWiltshireBerkshireOxfordshireBuckinghamshireBedfordshireHertfordshireMiddlesexEssexKentSuffolk<\/p>\n

The Met Office has published advice for people facing thunderstorms. Before thunderstorms occur, it urges people to \u201cunplug any non-essential appliances\u201d as lightning can cause power surges.<\/p>\n

You should also \u201ckeep away from underground or low-lying spaces such as car parks, basements or underpasses\u201d as flooding can occur rapidly.<\/p>\n

During a thunderstorm, the Met Office says you should \u201ctry to avoid using the landline, unless in an emergency\u201d as telephone lines can conduct electricity. \u201cAvoid activities such as golf<\/a>, rod fishing<\/a> or boating on a lake,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself driving in a thunderstorm, it is advised that you wind up the windows and stay inside your car. In the vast majority of cars with a metal roof and frame, the frame will act as a conductive Faraday cage, passing the current around the passengers inside and on to the ground.<\/p>\n

The Met Office says soft-top convertibles “are the most at risk and could catch fire if struck by lightning”. You should also be aware that current can travel through other parts of modern cars, including GPS and radio systems. “Cars with metal interior handles, foot pedals and steering wheels can also carry current,” the advice states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Met Office weather forecasters say ‘hail and thunder’ are possible in parts of England and Wales later today…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[173,257,281,5,6,38,150],"class_list":{"0":"post-27529","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"tag-england","9":"tag-met-office","10":"tag-storms","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-wales","14":"tag-weather"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116509578783841735","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}