UK weather: Heavy rain set to spoil the sport

A yellow thunderstorm warning is in place for large parts of central and south west England

Spectators shelter from the rain as play is disrupted on day two of Wimbledon (Steven Paston/PA Wire)

Thunderstorms and heavy rains could spoil the plans of Wimbledon and Euro 2020 spectators and put a dampener on the prospect of an early July heatwave.

A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued by the Met Office for much of central England on Saturday. A similar warning of heavy rain is in place for large swathes of the South West.

The weather forecaster has warned the heavy rain could bring some disruptions throughout the day, with possible flooding to homes and businesses, delays or cancellations to train and bus services and a danger that communities may become cut off by flooded roads.

Tom Morgan, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency: “We have two yellow weather warnings in place, the first covering the South West of England including parts of Cornwall, Devon and Bristol, which will see heavy and persistent downpours and even some flooding from Saturday afternoon.

“Another warning of thunderstorms will cover large swathes of central England, spanning from the south to north, starting from 6am on Saturday.

“These areas will see scattered, heavy showers, thunderstorms and even some hail.”

Sports fans have been urged to watch today’s Euro 2020 quarter final outdoors amid fears that large crowds could lead to a spike in Covid-19 cases.

On Friday, Public Health England (PHE) medical director, Yvonne Doyle, said: “Many of us will be joining friends and family to watch England in the Euros on Saturday night.

“But please follow the guidelines in place to reduce the risk and enjoy the match safely: watching the game outside will always be safer than gathering indoors.”

The heavy rain and changeable weather forecast on Saturday is due to an area of low pressure over the UK, Mr Morgan continued.

He added: “There are quite a few sporting events over the weekend, including England’s Euro 2020 match against Ukraine in Rome at 8pm on Saturday.

“While the players will be playing in 28C temperatures, back in England spectators in pubs and fan zones will be hit with heavy downpours.

“It may also be a washout for tennis-goers at Wimbledon, who I’d advise to have an umbrella to hand, despite there being some sunny spells.”

Wet and even thundery conditions are forecast in Wales, while parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland will see mostly cloudy conditions along with some rainfall.