Britain faces a further month’s worth of rain in just three hours today after intense thunderstorms battered the country over the weekend, forcing people to flee their homes and evacuate supermarkets.
A huge funnel cloud appeared over the Bristol Channel yesterday which appeared to create a spray from the sea, while an extraordinary ‘microburst’ storm was filmed hitting the Peterborough area with hail the size of golf balls.
The Met Office said up to 2.8in (70mm) of rain could fall in just three hours today, with most of England and Wales under a thunderstorm warning until 9pm including alerts for flooding, lightning, hail and power cuts.
A further weather alert is in place for Scotland tomorrow afternoon which warns of up to 2in (50mm) of rain in three hours amid fears over flooded roads cutting off villages. The average rainfall for August is 2.8in (70mm).
Forecasters are also monitoring Tropical Storm Kyle with the remnants barreling over the Atlantic Ocean from North America set to bring strong winds gusting at up to 55mph to parts of Britain later this week.
The stormy conditions represent a dramatic turnaround from the extreme heatwave experienced in Britain up until last week which saw temperatures of at least 93F (34C) for six days in a row for the first time on record.
Dog walkers go for a walk in the rain on Tynemouth Longsands beach this morning as downpours hit parts of Britain
Dog walkers didn’t let the rain deter them on Tynemouth Longsands beach this morning as their pets got a run out
Met Office meteorologist Nicola Maxey said: ‘If you’re caught by a thunderstorm, you’re likely to see 20mm-40mm (0.8in-1.6in) of rain within the hour, and some areas could see 50mm-70mm (2in-2.8in) within three to four hours.’
She added: ‘Really, anywhere within the warning area is at risk of those storms.’ Meanwhile the Environment Agency issued five flood alerts for parts of the Midlands around Birmingham.
EA flood duty manager Ben Lukey said: ‘Localised surface water flooding may affect individual properties and cause travel disruption across parts of England today, with minor surface water flooding possible into Tuesday.
‘River flooding may also occur in urban areas or from small watercourses reacting quickly to heavy rain.’
Sunshine and showers are expected across the UK during the week but rainfall will be more sustained, with the potential for 0.8in (20mm) falling over six hours.
Temperatures will be closer to average this week compared with last week’s scorching conditions, with South East England ‘significantly cooler’ with highs of up to 77F (25C) today.
Ms Maxey added: ‘As we go through the week, we’re looking at those mid-20s for the south-east and, as we go further north, towards Manchester, it will be 22C, 23C, so the low 20s the further north you go.
Yesterday, as 4,000 lightning strikes hit Britain, dozens of families fled their homes in the Norfolk market town of Watton following severe flooding, with firefighters reporting 27 callouts to the area in less than five hours.
Torrential rain also hit Sheringham resulting in homes being flooded and main roads closed. Ellen Webdale and her partner had to evacuate their home Watton with their two dogs after floodwater rose up to her thighs.
Ms Webdale, who tried to bail out the water with buckets, said fire engines arrived in the road to help residents pump water away. She added: ‘I had to climb out of my living room window because I couldn’t open the door.
The Met Office said up to 2.8in (70mm) of rain could fall in just three hours today, with most of England and Wales under a thunderstorm warning until 9pm including alerts for flooding, lightning, hail and power cuts
Commuters and shoppers walk through Newcastle city centre during heavy rainfall in parts of England this morning
‘I had to open the back garden to let the fireman in. I’m heartbroken – it’s my first home.’ Before fleeing to stay overnight at her mother’s house, the couple moved all of the furniture upstairs and switched off the electricity.
She said: ‘The water rushed in from the car park, it started filling up at our back door. We were out there using buckets to pail it away. It didn’t make any difference. We were fighting a losing battle.’
Visitors were told not to visit the coast at Sheringham after storm water began overflowing on to the beach. A North Norfolk District Council spokesman said: ‘We ask that you avoid accessing the beach in the area at this time.’
Roads were closed in the area due to bad weather, while Norfolk Police warned of ‘very poor’ driving conditions on the A11 yesterday evening due to flooding and heavy rain.
And Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said that it had removed approximately 8,000 litres of flood water from the basement of Wellingborough Museum.
Intense rainfall over the weekend saw a shopping centre in Chemsford evacuated as roads turned to rivers, while rain and low cloud caused the cancellation of three commemorative VJ Day flypasts by the Red Arrows.
Supermarkets in Kent were also hit by flash flooding yesterday, with part of the ceiling caving in at a Morrisons in Maidstone and rainwater surging in through the roof at an Asda branch in Sittingbourne.
Devoted owners give their furry friends a run out on Tynemouth Longsands beach this morning despite the heavy rain
A couple walk under an umbrella in Newcastle city centre this morning during heavy downpours
The unusual phenomenon of the funnel cloud over the Bristol Channel was spotted yesterday by social media users, including Dr Arthur Richards, who tweeted footage of it from Portishead in Somerset at around 4pm.
The spiralling cloud was visible for around 15 minutes, according to onlookers, and appeared to create a spray from the sea. Funnel clouds, also known as a tuba, form when a rotating column of wind draws in cloud droplets.
According to the Met Office, they become defined as a waterspout if they make contact with a body of water, or a tornado if they reach land. They are usually seen when heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning are on the way.
Meanwhile in Cambridgeshire YouTube vlogger Shaun filmed a video of an extraordinary ‘microburst’ storm outside Peterborough yesterday, saying: ‘Never in my life have I experienced something like this.’
The clip filmed from inside his car showed hailstones the size of golf balls falling on the windscreen. After it stopped, Shaun said: ‘That’s the type of thing you only see in America or something. That was insane.’
The M11 northbound was forced to close between Junction 7 and the exit for Stansted Airport when heavy rainfall caused water to gush onto the road yesterday, while a taxi was submerged by floodwater in Ingatestone, Essex.
Ground staff work on the pitch at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton today as rain delays the England-Pakistan cricket match
A man jogs with Henry Moore’s sculpture ‘The Arch’ and Kensington Palace in the background in West London this morning
A stunning pink sunrise was captured in the early hours of the morning from Sandbanks beach in Dorset today
On Saturday, in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, firefighters were called to rescue two people and a dog after the car they were in became stuck in floodwater. Floods also hit Essex, with the heavy rain affecting many roads.
Greater Anglia trains said heavy rain flooding the railway, and debris, had delayed and cancelled trains between Colchester, also in Essex, and Marks Tey stations for several hours.
The Met Office said Writtle, a mile from Chelmsford, had 2.1in (52.8mm) of rainfall in a 12-hour period on Saturday. The highest rainfall yesterday was 1.7in (42mm) which was recorded at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
The Red Arrows display team had planned to fly over London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast to commemorate 75 years since VJ Day on Saturday. However, only the Belfast flypast took place due to the weather conditions.
Meanwhile in America, the hottest temperature on Earth ever recorded may have been reached yesterday afternoon, as the mercury in California’s Death Valley hit 130F (54.4C).
If verified, this would be the hottest global temperature officially recorded since 1931. The temperature was reached at 3.41pm Pacific Time yesterday, according to the US National Weather Service.