Met Office weather forecast shows stormy weather front may be heading Harrogate's way

A yellow alert for thunderstorms in Harrogate has been issued for tomorrow in the latest example of extreme weather to happen this summer.

The Met Office warning for tomorrow, Thursday, forecasts that a broad band of thunderstorms and heavy rain will move north across England and Wales.

While not predicted to feel the worst of it, the Harrogate area is unlikely to escape it completely.

Beginning in late morning, the weather front is expected to last most of the day and evening with a “moderate thunderstorm” possible amid maximum temperatures of 22C.

A photograph of a storm over Fewston Reservoir taken in recent years by Andrew Stevens. While not predicted to feel the worst of it, the Harrogate area is unlikely to escape tomorrow's stormy weather front entirely. (Picture contributed)

But, thanks to wind gusts of 24mph, it will feel more like 15C much of the time tomorrow.

Humidity is set to hit a high of 97%.

The latest potentially disruptive weather phenomenon arrives as part of a summer which remains on course to be UK's hottest on record, according to the the Met Office.

Evidence increasingly shows that summers in Britain are getting hotter and are likely to become drier because of climate change.

In total, there have been 37 consecutive heatwave days somewhere in the UK this summer.

But tomorrow’s weather forecast also provides evidence that all kinds of extreme weather are now part and parcel of life in today’s Britain.

While not all locations in the warning area will experience thunderstorms, flooding is possible in those that do, with 20-30mm of rain possible in less than an hour.

The yellow alert for the Harrogate area includes the following possibilities:

Thunderstorms and heavy rain may lead to some disruption.

Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Some communities might become cut off if roads flood.

Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.