UK Weather: Thunderstorm warning issued for parts of Britain today amid predictions temperatures will plummet in Arctic cold snap

Britain is bracing itself for heavy showers and thunderstorms later today as temperatures are set to plummet below freezing this week.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in central and southern England and Wales from 4pm today until midnight.

Flooding in some homes and businesses within the warning area is likely, as 20 - 30mm of rain is expected to fall within two hours.

Power cuts are also expected and buildings could be damaged by the lightning strikes, hail or gusty winds which will batter these communities this evening.

The heavy rain will likely lead to disruption on the roads and railway lines in these areas and commuters are warned to expect delays to their journeys.

Brits had already been preparing for a barrage of wet weather this week as the remnants of the 145mph Hurricane Kirk were predicted to arrive by Wednesday or Thursday.

However, forecasters says the former tropical hurricane is now expected to skirt past the south of the UK and follow a track further south and could cause disruption in France and Spain instead.

But people will still need to wrap up later this week as temperatures in Britain are set to plunge into the single digits on Friday as Arctic winds blast the country with cold air.

In Scotland, forecasters are predicting the the mercury will drop to -3c in some areas with the coldest parts seeing temperatures lower than Oslo, Norway.

Meteorologists have forecast a gloomy start to the week, with overnight downpours set to continue today, with highs of 16c and lows of 3c.

Some brighter skies are forecast to develop elsewhere, but the heavy showers felt in southern parts of Britain will start to move north and bring with them the risk of hail or thunder.

Temperatures continue to drop into Tuesday, the Met Office said, with the mercury dropping to as low as 0c in the coldest parts of Scotland.

Liam Eslick, Met Office meteorologist, said: 'A strong breeze from a northerly direction will bring a fresher feel with cooler temperatures towards the back end of the week.

'Heavy rain now starts in the south of Scotland with more in the way of sunshine and showers across the north.

'The heavy rain in the south moves away, drawing down more showers from a northerly direction but with bright skies in between.'

The latest forecast for heavy rain in the UK comes after 10 English counties experienced the wettest September on record, with up to three times the average rainfall.

Many faced days of flash flooding last week, with the torrential rain leading the Environment Agency to issue 64 red flood warnings and 157 amber flood alerts across England.