Tornado and storm experts have issued a warning that the region could be in for extreme weather tonight and into tomorrow morning.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) are predicting severe thunderstorms for East Anglia from about 8.50pm on Tuesday, September 6, until 4am on Wednesday, September 7.

According to TORRO, Norfolk and Suffolk could be hit by heavy rainfall, gusty winds and between a 15-20mm diameter of hail overnight.

TORRO defines a severe thunderstorm when it produces one or more tornadoes and/or waterspouts, hail with a diameter of at least 20mm, non-tornadic wind gusts of up to 55mph or more at surface.

It also notes that thunder and lightning are not necessarily needed to be present for any of the other conditions to happen.

The website reads: "A messy picture for Tuesday and Tuesday night, with a vertically-stacked low close to south west Ireland.

"Several shortwave troughs will affect the area through the period - one is moving into south west England now and will move north-north east, and another should cross at least central and southern parts of this area later today and into this evening.

"Each of these will enhance the convection, perhaps introducing lines of showers and thunderstorms.

"In between these, more scattered convection is expected - preferentially, this will be around southern and western coastal areas due to instability over the warm sea, but it should develop further inland through the daylight hours today, and perhaps continuing into the night as the second trough moves through."

The update comes as Adam Dury, a forecaster at Norwich-based Weatherquest, said a scattering of showers and thunderstorms will make its way through the county until Friday (September 9).

He said: "The temperature is going to get progressively cooler as the week goes on and will be between 21C and 22C by Wednesday.

"Some isolated spots of Norfolk will see thunderstorms before Wednesday but thunderstorms will be scattered around more broadly from then."

Much of England has been gripped by drought after some of the driest conditions in almost 90 years.