5 hours ago
2
Thunderstorms are often very hit-and-miss.
Some places can see flooding downpours while others, perhaps only a few miles away, avoid the heaviest rain and stay essentially dry.
Weather apps - including the BBC Weather app - can struggle in these scenarios.
Forecasters know that the conditions are ripe for storms to form, with warm humid air across the UK interacting with a zone of colder air pushing in from the west, higher in the atmosphere.
This generates low pressure and instability.
However, the computer weather models that drive weather apps will always struggle to pinpoint exactly where and when the biggest storms will spring up.
It is a bit like heating popcorn kernels in a pan.
You cannot know precisely which kernels will pop and in which order, while some kernels may not pop at all.
Some of the storms will also occur at night, which may mean they do not show up in the daily weather icons.
It is worth keeping an eye on the hourly weather symbols, as well as the percentage chances of rain, if you are making outdoor plans.
