The UK Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland.

The warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry will come into effect from midday until nine o’clock.

The Met Office is warning that the showers and thunderstorms could disrupt transport and outdoor events.

The UK authority says flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely and that rain could lead to some damage to buildings or structures.

They added that there is a good chance driving conditions will be affected and that short-term loss of power and other services is possible.

Driest July on record in England and Wales

Meanwhile, England and Wales have had their driest July in records dating back to 1836, provisional statistics from the UK’s Met Office show.

And southern England has experienced its driest month ever recorded, as more records tumbled amid a summer of extreme weather that has seen multiple heatwaves and the whole of Wales and half of England plunged into drought.

Farming leaders have warned it is “one of the most severe droughts many farmers and growers have lived through”, with poor yields, struggles to access water for fruit and vegetables and livestock keepers using winter feed for their animals.

In July, 19 counties across England recorded effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole of the month, the Met Office figures show.

England as a whole had just 10% of the average rainfall for the month, while Wales saw just 9% of the average, with both countries seeing less than half of the rainfall in the previous record dry July in 1911.

Southern England also had its hottest July on record, while it was the joint hottest July on record for Wales, and the UK and England had their second-hottest July, the provisional figures show.

And in an exceptionally sunny month, the UK, England and Wales all recorded their sunniest Julys on record – and for England and Wales it was the sunniest calendar month ever observed, the Met Office said.

Additional reporting: PA