Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected across England and Wales on Tuesday with baggy conditions amid flash flood warnings and disruptions.
The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for most of the UK on Tuesday as the conditions could also cause transport disruption and power cuts in areas hit by heavy rain.
Hail, frequent lightning and flash flooding are possible as the rain is likely to concentrate in parts of southern England later.
Rain is expected across Scotland on Tuesday, but will clear as the day progresses, while Northern Ireland will be the drier.
Tuesday’s predictions follow heavy rain and flooding in parts of Devon and Cornwall on Monday afternoon, while storms developed in east coast counties including Essex, Suffolk and Lincolnshire.
The wet weather comes after weeks of little rain and high temperatures that led to droughts in several parts of the country, as well as wildfires and hose bans.
Videos shared on social media showed a roundabout near a river in Truro, Cornwall, quickly flooding as downpours rolled in.
Despite the expected storms, the Met Office said Monday marked the eighth consecutive day of 30C recorded in the UK. Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said temperatures will be cooler on Tuesday, with highs of around 27C.
Flood warnings when water drains from the surface
Image: Localized flooding in Tullow, Co Carlow in Ireland on Monday
As a result of dry ground in recent weeks, experts have warned that the likelihood of flooding is greater as surfaces act “a bit like concrete” and water runs off rather than percolating .
“There’s the damage to homes and businesses that these floods can cause, and the inconvenience with transport disruptions, but if it’s very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous,” said Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology of the University of Lectura.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned people in the capital on Monday to brace for flash flooding this week amid heavy rain and storms.
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Read more: Britain’s green landscapes turn brown as river flows drop. How little rain has your area had compared to previous years? What happens during a drought and where does our water come from?
Experts warned that the city’s drainage systems may not be able to cope if a sudden downpour hits, as water is likely to run off land that has dried out from weeks of little rain and weather warm.
Geographers and meteorologists say that the best kind of rain to bring the land out of its parched state would be a light rain.
Possible travel interruptions
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0:32 Heavy rain and flash flooding hit Cornwall
Dewhurst warned that the poor weather conditions could cause difficulties for those hoping to travel and urged people to keep abreast of developments in their local area.
He said we will see some “very heavy rain over the next few days.”
Yellow weather warnings are also in place for southern England on Wednesday, where communities could be cut off by flooded roads, and the possibility of fast-moving water or deep flooding could be life-threatening.
But as the week progresses, the weather is forecast to turn windier with some rain, particularly in the north of the UK.
Dewhurt said temperatures will generally be around average for many, but could possibly be a little above for the far south, in the mid-twenties.
“It’s likely to become cooler for everyone from late Wednesday to Thursday onwards,” he added.