Northern Ireland on Thunderstorm Watch

The UK Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across six counties in Northern Ireland, with the potential for heavy downpours, hail and lightning on Thursday.

The warning, which covers Antrim, Armagh and Down, is in place until 10pm.

Forecasters say that while some areas will remain dry, heavy showers and thunderstorms may develop from the early hours and persist into the morning, possibly merging into larger areas of rain.

Rainfall totals of 20 to 40 millimetres could fall in less than an hour in affected locations, raising the risk of surface water flooding. Hail and frequent lightning strikes are also possible.

The Met Office warned that the storms could cause disruption to travel, with difficult driving conditions and the potential for delays on roads and to rail services. Localised flooding of homes and businesses is also possible where the heaviest rainfalls.

Wednesday brought thunderstorm activity to counties Clare and Kerry, which had earlier been placed under a thunderstorm alert by Met Éireann.

Heavy rain fell in parts of West Munster, while lightning was reported in West Clare and North Kerry.