A yellow thunderstorm warning issued by the Met Office has been brought forward and will now come into effect this afternoon.

The weather experts' original alert was supposed to begin in Southampton at 6pm tonight, lasting until 11.59pm.

But the yellow warning has been reissued, and it will now start at 2pm this afternoon.

The Met Office's latest forecast shows that Southampton is set to see thunder between 9pm and 11pm, with rain continuing until 1am on Saturday.

Temperatures are expected to peak at 24C today.

READ MORE: Met Office: Southampton hotter than Casablanca next week

The warning area covers much of the south west of England and Wales, plus Hampshire.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Heavy rain and thunderstorms may lead to some disruption on Friday evening.

“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 homes and businesses could be lost."