Edinburgh and Scotland's east hit by yellow thunderstorm warning - here is what to expect

The warning for thunderstorms announced by the Met Office covers Edinburgh and the Lothians, Perthshire, Tayside and large swathes of the Highlands.

The alert is in place from 10am until 7pm on Wednesday. The north-east and east of Scotland will see the heaviest rain, with a risk of hail and thunder.

Some areas could see 15 to 20 mm of rain in less than an hour and 30 to 40 mm within a few hours.

Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “The [rainfall] is likely to lead to issues on roads with issues of surface water, so a risk of localised flooding.

“As with the nature of showers, one place can actually have a bit of a deluge and just a few miles up the road it could be as dry as a bone.”

A total of 14 flood alerts are in place, covering much of Scotland, including Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee and Angus, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Fife and the Scottish Borders.

The warning from the Met Office said spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

There is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services, and a “slight chance” that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

The weather forecaster said there was also a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.

The warning has been issued after an extended spell of wet weather, with heavy rainfall lashing large parts of Scotland from late last week.

The outlook is brighter towards the weekend, with sunnier conditions forecast for Edinburgh across Saturday and Sunday with highs of 19C expected. Glasgow is forecast to reach 19C on Saturday.