WEATHER WATCH

John Kettley Heavy rain has dominated much of West Europe in recent days, with flooding an increasing hazard. At least ten died in Majorca when 7.9in (200mm) of rain fell suddenly and a river burst its banks on Tuesday night.

Here, warm sunshine on Wednesday peaked at 24.6C in Northolt, West London – the highest for October since 2011 – but with the warmth came gales and heavy rain. Oban experienced flooding early in the week and Achnagart, Kyle, recorded 9.3in (236mm) of persistent rain.

By Friday it was storm Callum which intensified in the east Atlantic, fuelled by tropical air from lower latitudes. So we now have a weekend of extremes, with 25C in parts of East Anglia yesterday and torrential rain and gales easing in the West today, as wetter and colder winds reach the East.