A TWO-DAY weather warning has well and truly brought a change of pace to the weather in North Wales.

The Met Office has blanketed the region with a yellow thunderstorm warning and forecasts of rain – just days after we were able to enjoy the sunshine as temperatures hit 30°C.

The yellow alert kicked into force at 9am this morning, Tuesday, and will stay in place until 6am tomorrow, Wednesday.

The yellow warning suggests some quick flooding of homes and businesses is possible and driving conditions are expected to be affected by the surface water.

Some disruption is also possible for rail and bus services and power cuts could also occur.

Although temperatures remain fairly high – in the region of 17 to 18°C for some parts of North Wales – the forecast is proving to be the perfect balance for thunderstorms developing.

What exactly is a thunderstorm – and how are they formed?

According to the Met Office, a thunderstorm is a series of sudden electrical discharges resulting from atmospheric conditions.

These discharges result in sudden flashes of light and trembling sound waves, commonly known as thunder and lightning.

Thunderstorms are a series of sudden electrical discharges that develop when the atmosphere is unstable.

This is when warm air exists underneath much colder air. As the warm air rises it cools and condenses forming small droplets of water.

Thunder and lightning are associated with convective clouds and are often accompanied by heavy rain or hail.

General forecast for Flintshire/Wrexham:

Today:

• A rather cloudy day with one or two showers at first, which will break out more widely from late morning.

• Some heavy and thundery downpours this afternoon. Feeling cooler than recent days.

• Maximum temperature 21°C.

Tonight:

• Showers soon ease in the south leaving a largely dry night with clear spells here.

• Further north, some showers will persist overnight and light rain is likely in the west.

• Minimum temperature 11°C.

Wednesday:

• Sunny spells and showers throughout, the showers locally heavy and thundery during the afternoon.

• Showers gradually easing in the evening. Remaining cooler than recent days.

• Maximum temperature 20°C.