OUR disappointing weather this week could take another twist today with the possibility of localised tornados sweeping into the region.

Russell Claydon

OUR disappointing weather this week could take another twist today with the possibility of localised tornados sweeping into the region.

Sunhats will be replaced by brollies once again as powerful thunderstorms and heavy rain break out across Essex and Suffolk with the chance of tornados hitting some parts.

But weather experts are not anticipating the windstorms to cause much damage and believe some people may not even notice.

Chris Bell, a forecaster at WheatherQuest, said: “There is going to be, from mid-afternoon, some scattered thundery showers and it is possible the conditions will be right for a few isolated tornados.

“But generally in this country tornados are not that big and do not cause that much damage.

“There will be wind sheers in the upper atmosphere and that helps to generate the risk of thunder storms and they could create some very gusty winds that might not necessarily be classed as a tornado.”

A humid night will follow on into this morning, with temperatures creeping up to around 24C today - the usual for this time of year - but it will come at a cost this afternoon, with thundery showers hitting some parts of the county, he said.

The unseasonal weather will come about largely as a result of an area of low pressure sitting to the west of the county.

Mr Bell said: “We could see an inch of rain falling as a result of a thunder storm in one place while there could be only a half inch a few miles away - these are going to be very localised but the ones that develop could be very heavy.

“That is why there is a risk of a tornado.”

He said western parts of Suffolk are predicted to be worst hit by the downpours, which will develop from late morning onwards.