THE MET Office have issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms set to hit the North East on Friday. 

*UPDATE*: The yellow warning for thunderstorms has now been extended from Friday 10am to Saturday 9am.

The warning is in place from 10am on Friday morning to 11:59 on Friday night and warns of "slow moving thundery downpours."

The weather forecaster has warned of "localised surface water impacts" as a result of the stormy weather.

READ MORE: Met Office predict “warmer than average” temperatures after unsettled weather

The Met Office said: "There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater.

"Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

"Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services."

The warning comes after the Met Office long -range forecast predicted unsettled weather across the region.

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The outlook for Thursday to Saturday is "widely unsettled with showers" with a risk of thunder as well as sunny spells.

Unsettled weather will continue into the middle of the month with some dry periods but with thunderstorms and "torrential downpours" likely for some areas. 

However, later in the month the Met Office has predicted "warmer than average" temperatures after the unsettled weather. 

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