THUNDERSTORMS and torrential rain are set to hit Essex this week.

The Met Office has issued a blanket yellow weather warning for the whole county, set to begin at 6pm on Tuesday and last all the way through to 9pm on Wednesday, totalling 27 hours.

There is expected to be huge disruption for travellers and a risk of flooding in certain places.

Affected areas include much of the Midlands and East of England including the whole of Essex.

Essex Weather Centre tweeted: "Interesting charts showing up for Tuesday night. Strong thunderstorms, frequent lightning and hail quite widely across the region. Met Office have issued a yellow warning for all districts of Essex for this and further thunderstorms on Wednesday."

There is a small chance of flash flooding for businesses, with lightening strikes affecting electricity supplies, with hazardous driving conditions and cancellations of train and bus services.