Flood alerts for England thunderstorms
Flood alerts are in place across England as heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the bank holiday weekend, with warnings of travel disruption.
The Environment Agency has issued flood alerts across parts of England. The Met Office has forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms for the bank holiday weekend, warning of potential travel disruption.
Forecasters said large parts of England and Wales were covered by weather warnings on Friday. They suggested flooding of a small number of homes and businesses in England was likely. Trains could be delayed and car journeys could take longer.
Weather warnings and forecast
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms on Friday. The thunderstorm warning covered all inland areas in Wales, from the Severn to the Wash in England. This included all of the Midlands, up as far north-east as Teesside and across to Lancashire.
The forecaster said thunderstorms would probably bring 10-20mm of rain in a short period in a few places. There is potential for 30-40mm where there are repeated downpours. The Met Office said flooding could cause damage to buildings or structures. The same could be caused by lightning strikes. Brief power cuts could occur.
As of Friday afternoon, there were 16 flood alerts in England, meaning floods are possible. A more serious flood warning, indicating flooding was "expected", was issued in Nelson, Lancashire, on Walverden Water. It was removed later in the day.
Weekend outlook and impacts
Met Office forecasters predicted "unsettled" weather throughout the weekend and into the start of next week. "It's a rather unsettled bank holiday weekend," the Met Office said. "Saturday will start for many with a band of rain spreading north-east."
The forecast for Sunday includes "heavy, thundery showers in many areas". The Met Office said Sunday would bring a mix of sunshine and showers, with winds generally lighter for most places than Saturday. Monday will continue to be changeable, with sunny spells and scattered showers. There will be some dry weather around, and breezy conditions.
Temperatures are likely to reach 20-22C on Saturday, and 20C on Sunday and Monday.
| Day | Temperature | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 20-22C | Heavy showers, thunderstorms, windy in south/south-west |
| Sunday | 20C | Sunshine and showers, lighter winds |
| Monday | 20C | Sunny spells, scattered showers, breezy |
People heading to major music festivals like Reading and Leeds and Creamfields were warned about unseasonably strong winds. National Rail said trains were disrupted at Knebworth towards London on Friday because of flood water making the railway potentially unsafe.
Drought context
The wet weather follows an extremely dry summer. The Met Office has previously said the UK is on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves. Temperatures of up to 38.1C were recorded in London.
The Environment Agency said that after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday morning, 71.3% of England remained in drought. It said August so far had received only 34% of the expected rainfall. Filey in North Yorkshire had the most rainfall with 55mm between 8pm on Thursday and 7am on Friday, according to the Met Office.
