Torrential downpours have battered parts of the UK as yellow thunderstorm warnings came into force for London and the south-east, the east of England and the east Midlands until 3pm on Thursday.
The Environment Agency issued six alerts for areas where “flooding is possible”. Forecasters have predicted flooding to be likely amid “intense downpours” and have warned that 50mm (1.97in) of rain could fall in a short space of time in some areas, with one part of Essex being hit by more than 25mm of rain in one hour.
Andrewsfield in Essex reported 36.4mm of rain in the early hours of Thursday as heavy showers and storms swept across the east and south-east of England.
In east London, Dagenham Heathway station was closed on Thursday morning due to flooding caused by heavy rain, while a number of exits were closed at Charing Cross station in central London.
The Met Office has warned of difficult driving conditions and some road closures due to spray and standing water. Train delays are also likely as well as power cuts, lightning strikes and, in some areas, hail.
The warnings come after a period of dry weather that led to drought being declared across areas of England, with parched grass and struggling crops, streams drying up and river, reservoir and aquifer levels low. Hosepipe bans were brought in for millions as heatwaves pushed up demand for water.
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By Wednesday, the UK as a whole had had only 46% of the average total rainfall for August. A spokesperson for the Met Office, Grahame Madge said: “We’ve definitely switched from the hot and dry regime to something that has rain in the forecast.”
While the downpours will mean this month will “catch up a bit” with rainfall totals, he said: “It’s certainly going to be a dry August for the whole of the UK.” And he said some areas had gone without any significant rainfall from the middle of June until last week.
“We’ve had below average rainfall for such a long time, it’s going to take a period of above average rain to make it up,” he warned.
The bank holiday weekend is expected to be largely dry with warm sunny spells, though possibly wetter in the north-west with temperatures potentially climbing to 30C (86F) or into the mid-20Cs depending on how the high pressure builds, the Met Office said.
With the weather expected to improve over the bank holiday weekend, swimmers are being urged to stay away from beaches along the English coast due to an increased risk of sewage and pollution at several beaches. For those living in areas with a risk of flooding, the Met Office advises residents to have a bag containing water, insurance details and anything else that may be required ready to vacate their property should it be required.
The Met Office is set to bring out its seasonal forecast for the likely conditions over the next few months next week.
It is possible for the weather to turn around: the severely dry summer of 1976 was followed by rain that meant that rainfall levels had caught up with the average by the end of autumn.
But scientists warn that the climate crisis is making weather extremes more likely, increasing heatwaves, droughts and heavy rain events that can lead to flash floods.
