Brits are being warned of flash floods, thunderstorms and lightning this week as the latest blistering heatwave comes to a spectacular end.
The latest heatwave has scorched Britain but now heavy rainfall is set to fall on dry land, leading to heavy surface run-off as the parched earth is unable to absord the water. Forecasters warn intense thunderstorms will spark flash floods across the country.
Several days of heavy rain, thunder and lightning are expected to cause further weather-related chaos this week as the emergency services turn their attention from grappling with burning wildfires to tackling the predicted flooding.
Lightning and sudden dramatic downpours have already been experienced in Blackpool in the North West and Inverness in Scotland.
Motorists have been warned to expect difficult driving conditions, while train and bus services are likely to be disrupted and power cuts are possible.
The Environment Agency has warned that properties could flood, with John Curtin, the agency’s executive director of operations, tweeting that the UK was in “that twilight zone of having both flood and drought warnings”.
He said: “Heavy thundery rain on parched and hard ground will lead to rapid runoff and heightened flood risk this week. But this will in no way correct weeks of dry weather so most of England will remain in drought.”
The Met Office has implemented a yellow severe weather warning across the UK that runs until 11.59pm tonight (August 15) for Scotland and Northern Ireland and until 11.59pm tomorrow (August 16) for all of England and Wales.
The South West and south-east of England also face a third day of yellow warnings on Wednesday until 11.59pm.
Although temperatures will peak in the early-30s today, these will drop off as the heavy downpours and thunderstorms spread across the country. Drivers are being urged to check their vehicles and drive carefully because of the potential for flash flooding.
Simon Williams, RAC's road safety expert, said: "When roads or conditions have been so dry, flash floods are going to appear and cause a danger to drivers.
"There's a risk of aquaplaning as the water won't drain away quite as quickly."
"The risk of slipping and sliding is also greater.
"Make sure you've got good tread on your tyres and they're properly inflated, because the tread is the only thing that keeps you in contact with the road. Also, leave plenty of space between your car and the car in front."
A spokesman for the AA also warned about slippery surfaces on the roads as a result of rubber build-up from tyres.
Fire and rescue services spent another weekend tackling an enormous number of fires around the country, especially in the south-east where there has been little or no rain since January.
Significant fires were reported in London, Kent and Essex, while the baking weather also contributed to tragedy as several people drowned in lakes, rivers and the sea.
The dry conditions have resulted in drought being officially declared in eight areas of England and have left reservoir water levels far lower than normal.
But meteorologists are warning that the predicted downpours will be only of limited benefit in tackling the growing water shortage because instead of soaking into the baked ground, the downpours could lead to large amounts of surface run-off.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud told Sky News that the "rain from really intense downpours will be unable to soak into the baked ground quickly".
He added: "It's very difficult for the water to actually get in because it has to force the air out of the soil. So dry ground gets very quickly overwhelmed, and we then get surface run-off.
"Spray, and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
"There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds."
He said that “almost anywhere” was at risk of the thundery downpours early this week, although it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where they would hit.
Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, told The Guardian that the forecast rain was “unlikely to be long lasting or widespread enough to make a big difference to some exceptionally low levels in reservoirs and rivers”.
Greg Dewhurst, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the week would start quite humid before cooling down later on.
He said: "We'll start off initially quite humid, particularly across the south and the east of the UK, with thundery showers and sunny spells, but it will gradually become cooler and fresher as the week goes on.
"First half of the week, we're looking at some heavy downpours and thunderstorms developing. You can see that sort of transition coming in from the north, it's day by day."
While temperatures today (August 15) will peak at 31C or 32C, he added: "As we head towards Tuesday, temperatures are around 26C or 27C and Wednesday and Thursday will be the mid 20s."
The heatwave has caused huge wildfires in parts of the country and has kept firefighters busier than at any time since the Second World War.
As many people have struggled to cope with the near-40C temperatures at times, there have been deaths by drowning in rivers, lakes and the sea.
Among tragedies over the weekend, a teenage boy's body was recovered from the sea in Skegness, a man's body was pulled from the River Thames in Surrey and a man in his 20s died while swimming in a lake in Yorkshire.
