The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning, with the possibility of lightning and flash flooding later today (Thursday 31 July) as more than 2 in of rain could fall.
The official forecaster said yesterday: “Thunderstorms and heavy showers may bring some disruption during Thursday.
“Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
“Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
“There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds
“Thunderstorms and heavy showers are expected to develop during Thursday morning and through the afternoon.
“These could produce torrential downpours in a few places, with as much as 25mm to 35mm of rain falling within an hour and perhaps 60mm within two hours.
“Frequent lightning and hail will be additional hazards.
“Storms will tend to become more confined to the south and east of the warning area later in the afternoon before dying out during the evening.”
The yellow storm warning covers a wide area including Brighton and Hove and East and West Sussex and is in force from 10am until 9pm today.