Flash flooding warning as 40 areas told to get ready - see full list of alerts

Brits are being told to brace for flash flooding today as recent searing temperatures come to a sharp halt this weekend.

A rare amber weather warningwas issued yesterday as the Met Office said looming thunderstorms could cause "danger to life".

The national forecaster said millions of Brits could be washed outas "areas of heavy rain" accompanied by roaring thunderstorms careen across the southeast this weekend and move north over the course of the day.

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The weather front could pour up to four inches of rainfall on the British Isles, which will dramatically raise the risk of flash flooding, leading to "significant impacts", with urban areas at particular risk.

The amber warning states: "Areas of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move northwards during the early hours of Saturday, with torrential downpours in places.

"Accumulations of 20 to 40mm (0.7 to 1.5 inches) are possible in one hour, and where heavy downpours persist then as much as 70 to 100mm (2.7 to four inches) could accumulate in just a few hours. Significant impacts are possible if this occurs over more urban areas.

"The more widespread heavy rain should clear to the north during Saturday morning, but additional scattered heavy showers and a few thunderstorms could develop during Saturday afternoon and early evening, this risk covered by the much larger Yellow thunderstorm warning."

Flood alerts in England

Beverley Brook area in Merton, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth

Bottle Brook in Derbyshire

Hastings Blacklands

Hollington Stream

Loughborough urban watercourses and local tributaries to the River Soar

Lower Lee tributaries

Polegate and Wannock

Ravensbourne area in the London Boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley, Greenwich and Croydon

River Blythe in Warwickshire

River Cole

River Erewash Tributaries in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

River Hogsmill area from Ewell to Kingston upon Thames

River Leen, Day Brook and Tottle Brook in Nottinghamshire

River Maun in Nottinghamshire

River Pinn and Woodridings Stream

River Rea

River Rythe from Oxshott to Thames Ditton

Rivers Beam and Rom

River Stour and Smestow Brook in the Black Country and South Staffordshire

River Trent Tributaries in Nottinghamshire

River Wandle area in the London Boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton, Lambeth, Croydon and Sutton

Scrase Bridge and West Common Streams

Shuttle and Cray

Silk Stream and the Deans, Edgware, Dollis, Mutton, Wembley and Wealdstone Brooks

Tributaries in Leicester City

Tributaries in North Derbyshire

Tributaries in South Derbyshire

Upper Tame

Upper Tame at Sandwell Valley

Yeading Brooks in London Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon

Flood alerts in Scotland

Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City

Central

Dumfries and Galloway

Dundee and Angus

Edinburgh and Lothians

Fife

Findhorn, Nairn, Moray and Speyside

Scottish Borders

Tayside

West Central Scotland