Brollies up as rain returns with a vengeance

WHAT a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, many of us were sweltering in 34C.

But up to a month’s rain fell in less than 24 hours yesterday, bringing relief to gardens but flooding to some towns.

Up to 30mm of rain fell in just an hour in some parts of the country, with 60mm – the amount expected to fall in the whole of June – flooding several areas throughout the day.

Parts of Cambridge were swamped and cars struggled to make their way through the flooded roads in the city centre. A Met Office spokesman said: ‘Conditions are going to be more unsettled compared to what we were seeing last week, with an area of low pressure bringing plenty of cloud and quite often rain.

‘More unsettled weather is expected for the rest of the week, with heavy and thundery showers towards the South East, but conditions will be mostly brighter in the North.

‘The picture will not improve through the rest of week with periods of heavy rain expected.

‘Saturday will bring a brief respite before we expect to see another area of low pressure move in and bring further unsettled weather.’

Temperatures will feel a world away from last week’s highs of 34C (93F), with 20C (68F) the norm and many places set to drop to the mid to low teens.

Last week’s weather melted roads and buckled rail lines, with workers forced to commute on the hottest June day since 19 6.