A month’s rain in an hour as lethal storms sweep in
HEAVY thunderstorms caused devastation over the Bank Holiday weekend as parts of the country were hit by a month’s worth of rain in an hour.
Flash floods saw roads submerged and firefighters were called to rescue those trapped in cars and houses – – with some taken to safety in boats.
A man in his 80s died after he was trapped in his van which had been caught in a flood in Birmingham.
As the rain fell, temperatures were rising, peaking at 26.4C (79.5F) in Gosport, Hampshire, while other areas of the country basked in sunshine.
However, forecasters yesterday said there will be no let up to the downpours – and there may be more thunderstorms on the way. Humid conditions with a risk of heavy showers could last well into the weekend, although it will be cooler in the North and East.
Heavy thunderstorms lashed the South and East yesterday, as well as West Wales.
Weather agency Meteo Group said 100 lightning strikes were recorded in the four hours up to 5pm in West Sussex and Hampshire alone yesterday.
Torrential rain and multiple lightning strikes also created mayhem in Milton Keynes yesterday morning. Almost a dozen people had to be rescued from flood- swamped cars in the Buckinghamshire town, while emergency services received 200 calls from those caught in flash floods.
A month’s rainfall hit parts of Birmingham in just one hour on Sunday afternoon, leaving a major route into the city impassable with 5ft of water.
Winterbourne in Edgbaston recorded 58mm (2.25ins) of rainfall in just one hour. The average rainfall in the West Midlands for the entire month of May is 55mm (2.16 ins).
The man who died in the flooding was in a van in Rushall, when it became submerged in floodwater in the early hours of yesterday.
Mother of two Kirinna Johnson, 26, said a neighbour had dived into the water to try to help, adding ‘ he was a real hero’. Attempts to break a window with a hammer failed before firefighters arrived.
They cut the man free from the van but he had been in the water for five minutes. He was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead.
Residents had to be rescued from their homes in parts of Birmingham when the downpour caused flash flooding, including some in Selly Oak who were rescued by fire crews in boats. Flood defences costing £2.7million are planned for the area but not yet completed.
Support worker Thomas Mellett, 39, of Selly Park, who lives with his disabled brother Patrick Mellett, said: ‘ My brother couldn’t get out and the fire brigade came with a boat to get him out.’
He said the incomplete flood defences ‘were no good to anyone.’ Another storm warning has been issued for today, from 2am and 10pm.
This covers the whole of the South, the southern Home Counties, London and Essex, where more than one inch of rain an hour is likely.
Nearly 40 flood alerts were in place last night for the Midlands and southern parts of England. The Met Office said temperatures today are likely to be slightly lower than yesterday, with highs of 24C (75F) in the South and 22C (72F) in the North.