Storm brings month’s rain in single day
NEARLY a month’s worth of rain fell yesterday as the country was hit by stormy weather.
Up to 60mm (2.3in) was predicted in isolated locations across southeastern and central England during thundery downpours which were forecast to continue until around 2am today.
The conditions, brought by a weather front moving west to east, caused train disruptions and flash flooding. Total average rainfall for the whole of September across England is normally 68mm (2.7in). Yesterday’s downpour was about two thirds of the average for all of October – 90mm (3.5in).
The wettest place in the country yesterday morning was the Bratch in Staffordshire, where 34.8mm (1.37in) of rain fell between 3am and midday. More than an inch of rain was recorded at locations in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and Somerset.
The Meteorological Office had warned that the total amount of rain could lead to flooding of homes and businesses. A yellow warning was put in place for thunder for much of southern and eastern England, including Bath, Brighton, Norwich and London, and ended at 2am today.
The warning on the Met Office’s website stated: ‘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.’ The warning added that transport could also be affected, including potential road closures and train cancellations.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the storms could lead to 0.8mm to 1.2mm (0.3 to 0.5in) of rainfall in one hour, causing flash flooding. He said: ‘We’re talking flash flooding, surface water flooding, because of intense rates in a short period of time.’
However, in brighter news, further sunny spells are predicted this week once the storms pass and temperatures could be almost as high as in parts of France, where Bordeaux will be 22C (72F) tomorrow.
Mr Burkill said: ‘Through the next few days temperatures will be rising. By the middle of the week, we could be in the low 20s in some places, possibly 21 (70F).’