HEAVY rain and further thunderstorms could bring travel disruption across the county today.

A yellow warning for rain is in place for much of northern England by the Met Office until midnight.

There have already been some travel problems as a result of bad weather. 

Parts of west Cumbria - including Maryport, Whitehaven and Workington - are unaffected by the warning.

It is the second of a back-to-back warning by the weather forecaster.

Yesterday, a 21-hour alert for thunderstorms was in effect from 3am until midnight last night.

Disruption on the roads, plus bus and rail services, is also a possibility as the storms take hold, according to the forecaster.

Temperatures in Carlisle are set to peak at 20 degrees at lunchtime, with thunderstorms likely to hit between 12pm and 4pm.

A spokesman from the Met Office said: “Rain will be persistent and heavy in places across parts of northern England at first on Wednesday.

“During the day, rain may turn more showery in places, but with a higher chance of thunderstorms by afternoon.

“Some parts of northern England could see as much as 40 to 60 mm of rain through Wednesday, while thunderstorms could produce as much as 30 to 40 mm in one to two hours.

“However, some places will miss the heaviest rainfall.”

There is also a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly during the thundery downpours - with lightning strikes, hail and strong winds all expected.

Power cuts are also possible, plus spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

It comes just days after an intense heatwave swept the country, with Carlisle recording its hottest day ever last Thursday.

The city reached sweltering temperatures of 32.4 degrees that day, and was the hottest place in Cumbria.