NI Weather: Thunder and lightning warning for ALL of NI by Met Office - heavy downpours and hail on the way

The warning was issued on Friday morning shortly after 11.30am and is valid for 24 hours from 12.00am on Monday.

The Met Office said whilst there was a chance Northern Ireland could escape the worst of the storm it “could not be ruled out”.

“Areas of thunderstorms are increasingly likely to develop over the south of the UK or nearby continent late in the weekend or early next week, and will generally track north or north-westwards, potentially affecting all parts of the UK at some points during this period.

“Whilst the most intense thunderstorms, in some instances associated with large hail, will most probably be those triggered by the high temperatures of the day over England and Wales, other areas of storms producing heavy rainfall and frequent lightning could reach further north at times over Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

The warning continued: “These could occur at any time of the day. Of the area highlighted, at present the west of Northern Ireland and west of Scotland seem less likely to be affected than other areas, but still could not be ruled out.

“Where the storms occur, rainfall totals of 30-40 mm could fall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving 60-80 mm in 3 hours, although these will be fairly isolated.”