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Parts of the UK could be battered by a month’s worth of rain on Monday as the country is set for heavy flooding, the Met Office warned.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and up towards the Wash and the Humber could be hit by the heavy rainfall.
A yellow alert was put in place throughout the day, covering parts of Wales, much of the south of England, the Midlands and into northwest England and Yorkshire.
The Environment Agency flood duty manager Sarah Cook said “persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms” could lead to some property flooding and travel disruption throughout the day.
Some affected areas could see 100 to 120mm of rain and forecasters warned there may be more warnings in the week ahead.
Mrs Cook said: “The impacts could include localised flooding in urban areas and fast-responding catchments, including some property flooding as well as travel disruption. The risk from river flooding remains low.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and ready to support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.”
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey added: “First thing on Monday morning then we see an amber weather warning come into force. It stretches between Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and up towards the Wash and the Humber.
“This area in particular, during Monday, we could see over a month’s worth of rain falling, and with the rain we’ve already seen over the last couple of days this certainly has the potential to bring some disruption and flooding in locations and here it is very important we do take care over the course of the day.”
It comes after thunder, lightning and hail marked the official end to summer over the weekend, with the autumn equinox on Sunday afternoon signalling the start of the new season.
Rain warnings were in place all weekend with a fresh yellow alert having come into effect at midnight to last all of Monday, covering parts of Wales, much of the south of England, the Midlands and into north-west England and Yorkshire.
An amber warning came into force at 5am and will last until 9pm, sweeping over Worcester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Hull.
Even before the warnings came into effect, Bedfordshire Police warned: “We are aware of the multiple issues the weather is causing across the county tonight. Please only call us if there is an immediate threat to life or crime in progress.
“All emergency services and council teams are working as quickly as possible to help those affected but our priority will be the vulnerable. Please stay clear of flooded roads and affected areas.”
As of 5am, 13 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – were issued for England by the Environment Agency.
Areas affected by the flood warnings include Atherstone in Warwickshire, Leighton Buzzard and Luton in Bedfordshire and parts of London including Wimbledon and South Ruislip.
MET OFFICE OUTLOOK
Monday:
Heavy rain will linger across parts of England and Wales today. This could lead to localised flooding in some southern areas. Further north it will be drier and largely cloudy, although rain will move into northern Scotland.
Monday night:
Rain in the south will gradually ease tonight and clear to the east during the early hours. Skies will remain cloudy, with rain continuing in northern Scotland through the night.
Tuesday:
Rain in the east clears in the morning. Outbreaks of rain in Scotland will spread to northern England in the afternoon. Largely dry and cloudy elsewhere. Chilly in the north.
Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:
Rain will spread across the UK during Wednesday and Thursday, possibly with strong winds in places. Rain should clear through Friday and it will turn colder in a northerly wind.
