A NEW weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office.

The last-minute warning was issued at 9.54am on Tuesday morning, October 8, and came into effect at 10am.

The warning, which covers Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and the rest of the county, runs until 10pm on Tuesday evening.

Read more: Hour-by-hour forecast as thunderstorms forecast for BCP

A Met Office spokesperson said: “Showers and thunderstorms will spread from the southwest, as well as developing over land, during the morning, lasting through the afternoon and well into the evening.”

The Met Office said while some areas will miss these, there could be as much as 20 to 30mm of rainfall within two to three hours in some areas, with the chance of 40 to 50mm of rainfall in other places.

The spokesperson added: “Hail and lightning will be additional hazards, with a risk of temporary hail accumulations in places. In addition, heavy showers and thunderstorms will be associated with strong and gusty winds in the south of the warning area at times with 40 mph gusts possible.”

In terms of what to expect, the Met Office says there is a chance driving conditions will be affected with some journey times extended by car and bus.

Some flooding in homes and businesses is likely, with damage to buildings and structures also possible from lightning strikes.

Short term power loss could also occur.