Now get set for the August thunderstorms: Met Office issues weather …
Now get set for the August thunderstorms: Met Office issues weather alert with up to 2in of rain, flooding and heavy wind set to batter Britain this weekend
- Forecasters say an area of high pressure could settle conditions mid next week
Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning as heavy downpours and thunderstorms are set to drench Britons until the end of the week.
The alert warns of windy weather for parts of southern England and Wales, which could lead to travel disruptions.
Power cuts could occur between 6am and 9pm on Saturday, in addition to longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services could be affected.
Unseasonably wet and windy conditions are also predicted for Northern Ireland on Saturday with a ‘small chance’ homes could be flooded.
Despite most of the wet weather clearing away overnight, there will still be patches of rain and thunderstorms until the end of the week, becoming heavier over the weekend.
BOURNEMOUTH: Families queue in the rain and heavy winds to go into the aquarium
BROADSTAIRS: Friends shelter from the rain outside their beach hut on August 02
LONDON: Abandoned cars are left in a car park in Tokyngton Avenue in Wembley on Wednesday
LONDON: A young woman leaps over a huge puddle of water in north London
MANCHESTER: Flash flooding on Crossley Street in Levenshulme yesterday afternoon
Along exposed coasts in southern England and Wales there could be wind speeds of up to 65 miles per hour. Up to 2inches of rain is also predicted by the Met Office.
There is a glimmer of hope as forecasters say the jet stream could shift in the middle of next week, bringing hotter and drier conditions after an unseasonably wet July.
The jet stream is expected to move further north, bringing in a band of high pressure over the UK.
‘It looks like the low pressure systems will tend to clear away and something we haven’t seen for a while – an area of high pressure which could settle things down around the middle part of next week,’ BBC forecaster Stav Danaos said.
‘That will bring something drier, brighter, and finally a little bit warmer.’
The Met Office’s slightly more cautious outlook said: ‘Looking ahead to the rest of August, there are some early signals for at least a brief spell of something a little warmer and more settled to develop towards the end of next week, most likely for southern areas.
‘However, it remains that the greatest chance of seeing anything more widely settled would be through the second part of August, although this may be accompanied by an increasing risk of thundery showers.
‘With unsettled conditions never too far away, it looks unlikely that we will see any prolonged or excessive heat, with the chance of heatwaves here in the UK being lower than some recent Augusts.’
LONDON People walking along the Millennium Bridge, London, during a rain shower
LONDON: A man and a child wearing ponchos to protect themselves from the rain run across Westminster Bridge to avoid the rain
LONDON: Fire crews in the capital had to work to divert flood water and evacuate 14 people to safety after a man became trapped inside a van following flooding in Wembley on Wednesday
Amy Bokota, a Met Office forecaster, said: ‘Thursday’s going to be quite a grey day and quite breezy as well, but winds are not expected to be as strong and with that there will be some showers, which could be heavy at times.
Between 25 to 30mm of rain fell across parts of the north-east of England on Wednesday, while areas in London saw around 20mm, the Met Office said.
Meanwhile, the south-coast was battered with 45 to 50mph winds, as the Needles on the Isle of Wight saw 60mph gusts.
Around one square mile in Wembley, north-west London, was left under one-metre deep flood water, with firefighters called to rescue a man from a van and evacuate 19 people.
Some train services were also affected across the country.
‘There’s not expected to be any impacts or warnings on the back of that, there could be up to five to 10mm of rainfall in an hour, and maybe 20 to 25mm over a couple of hours if rain becomes persistent in places.
‘But generally it’s going to be a lot better, most places a little bit brighter and those showers will be less widespread.
‘Heading into Friday, areas in the south-west will see an improvement, parts of Cornwall and Wales will see a decent day with sunny spells, although along the east coast there will be a risk of showers and the odd rumble of thunder too.
‘In the evening a low pressure system will start to show it’s cards in Northern Ireland before it’s all change on Saturday, turning much wetter and windier across many parts of the country.’
The Environment Agency had 37 flood alerts in place across the country on Wednesday evening, while warning that flooding was expected in Hornsea, Yorkshire.
CAMBRIDGE Tourists under umbrellas as they go for a punt on the River Cam on a wet Wednesday afternoon
References
- ^ Danya Bazaraa (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Rhiannon James (www.dailymail.co.uk)