A fresh thunderstorm warnings came into force across London on Thursday morning as heavy rain batters the capital.

The yellow storm warning is in place from 2am until 8am, covering all of Great London and large swathes of the east of England.

A second warning is in place between 5am and 10pm affecting parts of north London, the West and East Midlands, the north west of England and the whole of Wales.

The Met Office has warned that there is a “small risk of flooding and disruption from thunderstorms” and a potential for power cuts.

As of 7am on Thursday morning, heavy downpours were expected to hammer the capital for most of the day. The warning suggests that there could be rainfall of 20 to 30mm in less than an hour in some parts of London.

Lightning and hail of 1-2cm could also fall across London, the warning reads.

Forecasters at BBC Weather are predicting thundery showers all of Thursday morning, with the potential of thunder and lightning between 11am and 1pm.

There is also a chance of thunderstorms again between 3pm and 7pm on Thursday afternoon ahead of a drizzly and wet night with more light rain showers.

Friday promises to be drier and clearer with plenty of sunny intervals throughout the day.

However, thunderstorms are set to return across bank holiday weekend with potential storms set to hit the capital on Saturday and Sunday.

The wet weather comes after one of London’s driest summers on record and the spate of showers could provide some much-needed reprieve for Londoners.

There was no meaningful rain in July in London, with zero rain measured in parts of north London and just 1mm in areas south of the river.

The capital’s green spaces have been scorched by the blistering heat, turning from bright green to straw-coloured and becoming hotbed for wildfires in a matter of months.

Millions have also been placed under hosepipe bans as London ploughs through drought conditions.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Steve Willington said: “On Thursday, slow-moving heavy and thundery rain may bring prolonged rainfall to some areas, increasing the risk of localised impacts. There remains some uncertainty around where the heaviest rain will fall, so it is important to keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings"