Met Office issues tornado alert as England pummelled by torrential rain

A metereologist has issued a tornado alert for parts of the UK today.

Weather expert Alex Burkill has warned that a is "not out of the question" as a funnel cloud is expected across parts of the south east of England on Wednesday, May 21. It comes as the region is being battered by thunder, lightning and hail on a day where there is a huge "north-south divide" - with parts of the north seeing sunny weather in comparison.

He added that "there will be further showery bursts to come as we go through the rest of today".

Tornadoes are incredibly rare in the UK - and are usually very weak. The Met Office says on its website: "Around 30 tornadoes a year are reported in the UK. These are typically small and short-lived, but can cause structural damage if they pass over built-up areas."

The Met Office also wrote on X on Wednesday afternoon: "Further scattered showers are expected to affect the south later this afternoon, before fading away by this evening. Cloud slips southwards across the northeast with a few drizzly outbreaks over higher ground."

Today's bad weather across the south of England comes after the driest start to spring in nearly 60 years. The Environment Agency has issued a warning over a potential drought if the country continues to see similar weather patterns over the coming months.