Flood alerts have been issued with thunderstorms set to hit parts of Scotland.

Yellow warnings have been issued for Wednesday and Thursday between midday and 9pm both days.

On Wednesday, areas including Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen are expected to be worst hit.

By Thursday, Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow and Inverness will also be affected - with the Met Office warning there is a "small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life".

The heavy and thundery showers are expected to cause travel disruption with spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and possible road closures.

Flooding and lightning strikes could also affect rail and bus services.

Homes and businesses are at risk of flooding, while some buildings may also incur damage from the weather.

Power cuts are also expected.

STV Weather presenter Laura Piper said as much as 50mm of rain may fall on Thursday.

She said: "We're expecting to see heavy showers and a risk of thunderstorms developing over the next few days, especially during Thursday afternoon across parts of Scotland.

"This will begin to affect the north east around Aberdeenshire around midday on Wednesday, stretching towards the north coast, as well as Dundee, Fife, Edinburgh and the Lothians before the showers fade away in the evening, though we'll have a bit of a murky night.

"The heavy showers then return on Thursday afternoon covering a wider area.

"Whilst many areas will miss the heaviest rain, where heavy showers and thunderstorms do develop they will be slow-moving bringing the potential for 20-30mm of rain in an hour and 40-50mm in two to three hours, so we could see some flash flooding and travel disruption."

Despite the torrential downpour, Laura forecasts a brighter weekend.

She added: "The good news is though, those showers and thunderstorms will gradually die out during Thursday evening and by the end of the week we should start to see an area of high pressure building - meaning a lovely weekend ahead with sunshine and temperatures of around 23C.

"Until then, do take care on the roads and keep those wellies on standby for the next few days."