THUNDERSTORMS ARE set to hit South Wales from 8pm today with a yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office.

Heavy rain is expected to cause issues for those travelling and using public transport and could lead to some flooding, the weather experts have said.

The weather alert is in place until 8am Thursday morning, May 2 and covers large parts of Wales, London and the South East and Herefordshire.

Heavy rain is set to batter South Wales from 5pm this evening until 12pm tomorrow afternoon.

A Met Office spokesman said: "Spells of heavy rain are expected this evening and overnight. In some places, most likely over northern and eastern parts of the warning area, there is a chance that rain will be accompanied by thunderstorms and frequent lightning.

"20 to 40 mm of rain is expected to fall quite widely with 50 mm possible in a few places. In some places much of this rain may fall over a two or three hour period."

In tonight's weather outlook for Newport the forecaster is warning that the heavy rain will turn "heavy and thundery moving north and west across Wales overnight." The minimum temperature will be 8 °C.

There will be further outbreaks of rain tomorrow which will be "thundery at first across South Wales, this easing during the day." The maximum temperature is set to be 15 °C.