Parts of England were hit with fresh flooding on Friday with warnings in place for heavy rain and even brief tornadoes for the London commuter belt.
As of 6am on Friday, the Environment Agency had 63 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 121 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
Areas affected by a more severe amber warning - including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands - were struck by flash floods as the Met Office warned the regions could see 30-40mm of rainfall within three hours.
Images posted on social media showed tracks at a train station in Shropshire completely submerged and abandoned cars on an empty motorway in Gloucestershire.
It comes as an amber rain warning issued by the Met Office for areas of the Midlands and the south of the country, and a separate yellow rain warning for large parts of England and Wales, both ended on Friday.
Areas affected by the amber warning, including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands, were hit by flash floods as the Met Office said the regions could have 30-40mm of rainfall within three hours.
Rail services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were cancelled, with disruption expected all morning, after severe flooding at Wellington station and an earlier tree on the line.
Trains between Peterborough in the east Midlands and London King's Cross were delayed because of flooding.
Meanwhile commuter services between Purley in south London and Caterham in Surrey were suspended until at least midday due to the weather, National Rail announced in an update.
The Marston Vale line in Bedfordshire, which operates services between Bedford and Bletchley, is suspended until Monday because of standing water on the track.
All lines were blocked between Bicester North and Banbury in Oxfordshire, with disruption expected until 3pm.
National Highways said the M5 in Gloucestershire was closed northbound between junction 16 and junction 14 because of flooding.
The motorway had reopened southbound between J14 and J15 but hour-long delays and up to four miles of congestion were still expected both ways.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service previously said they were working with National Highways South West to rescue people stranded on the M5 in Gloucestershire.
Images on social media showed several cars in the middle of the motorway in the affected areas.
The A421 in Bedfordshire was expected to remain closed in both directions on Friday between the A6 Bedford and M1 junction 13 near Marston Moretaine, as floodwater continued to be pumped clear from the junction.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told the PA news agency that northern and central parts of England and Wales had been hit the hardest.
He said: “There will continue to be localised flooding. A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks which means the ground is already saturated.”
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Toro) forecasted much of the south-east to see lightning, winds up to 50mph and even “isolated brief tornadoes”.
This includes much of East Anglia, the south-east Midlands and central southern England.
The Met Office said on Thursday: “Slow moving showers and thunderstorms will develop through the afternoon, merging into a large band of heavy rain through the evening, before clearing slowly south overnight.
“Some places, especially across central and eastern parts of the warning area, are likely to receive 30-40mm in three hours or less, and perhaps 50-60mm or more in around six hours.
“This rain will fall onto already saturated ground and affect communities recovering from recent flooding. Travel disruption and further flooding is likely, with rivers continuing to rise after the rain clears.”
According to the warning, the weather could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and there is a “good chance” some communities will be cut off due to floods.
Delays and cancellations to train and bus services and power cuts are also likely.
A spokesperson for the RAC warned drivers to be “aware of the increased risks of flooding”, adding: “Never attempt to drive through floodwater. If a road appears flooded, the safest thing to do is turn around and find another route.
“Wet roads also increase the likelihood of aquaplaning, where a vehicle’s tyres glide on top of a thin layer of water, losing grip on the road and causing a loss of control. We strongly advise drivers to keep their speeds down and avoid standing water wherever possible.”
Parts of the country saw more than the monthly average rainfall on Monday, with flash flooding damaging homes and disrupting travel.
Cars trapped on the M5 after heavy rain overnight.
— Jonathan Swain (@SwainITV) September 27, 2024
The motorway is closed near Bristol causing major delays already and will cause lots of disruption for drivers today. #flooding #Weather #floods #Bristol @GMB pic.twitter.com/mIxV0Fr0mX
There were further downpours on Wednesday evening.
Around 385 properties were flooded in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Kent and the Home Counties, according to the Environment Agency.
Kate Marks, flood duty manager at the agency, said: “Heavy rainfall across the country means that significant river and surface water flooding impacts are possible in parts of central England today and into Friday. Minor river flooding impacts are also possible in parts of north-east England today and Friday.
“Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, supporting local authorities in responding to surface water flooding. We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation as well as following @EnvAgency on X for the latest flood updates.”
The rain is expected to clear during Friday leaving conditions much colder on Saturday.
