‘Megastorm’ to dump ONE month’s rain on Britain in simply hours

Britons are facing travel chaos as a ‘megastorm’ dumps one month’s rain on the country in just hours and flood-hit towns struggle to cope with a September deluge.

An amber weather warning for heavy rain has come into force in many parts of England, as thunder, lightning and hail marked the official end to summer.

Roads have been submerged in water while rail passengers are suffering major delays and cancellations due to flooding.

Rain warnings have been in place all weekend with a fresh yellow alert having come into effect at midnight to last all of today – covering parts of Wales, much of the south of England, the Midlands and into north-west England and Yorkshire.

An amber warning came into force at 5am and will last until 9pm, sweeping over Worcester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Hull.

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Some affected areas could see 100 to 120mm of rain throughout the day and forecasters suggested there could be more warnings in the week ahead as flooding misery continues.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: ‘First thing on Monday morning then we see an amber weather warning come into force.

‘It stretches between Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and up towards the Wash and the Humber.

‘This area in particular, during Monday, we could see over a month’s worth of rain falling, and with the rain we’ve already seen over the last couple of days this certainly has the potential to bring some disruption and flooding in locations and here it is very important we do take care over the course of the day.

‘There is a broader yellow rain warning that encompasses much other areas of England and Wales as well.’

Rail firm Southeastern announced that only a ‘very limited service’ would run from Hastings in East Sussex towards London due to ‘heavy rain flooding the railway at Wadhurst’. 

Severe flooding was also blamed for delays to London Underground services this morning on the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Metropolitan and District lines – as well as on the London Overground.

There was no service on the Bakerloo Line between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone, on the District Line between Turnham Green and Richmond, on the Metropolitan Line and the Piccadilly Line between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge and on the London Overground between South Acton and Richmond and between Euston and Watford Junction.

Other rail services reporting weather-related disruption include Great Northern, Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink. 

Meanwhile, scenes on Dunstable High Street in Bedfordshire showed people struggling against high water and trying to unblock drains.

Bedfordshire Police said part of the road had been closed due to the severe flooding.

Even before the warnings came into effect, the force had said: ‘We are aware of the multiple issues the weather is causing across the county tonight. Please only call us if there is an immediate threat to life or crime in progress.

‘All emergency services and council teams are working as quickly as possible to help those affected but our priority will be the vulnerable. Please stay clear of flooded roads and affected areas.’

As of 5am, 13 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – were issued for England by the Environment Agency, along with 76 flood alerts.

Areas affected by the flood warnings include Atherstone in Warwickshire, Leighton Buzzard and Luton in Bedfordshire and parts of London including Wimbledon and South Ruislip.

Flooding has closed part of the A421 westbound near Bedford, BBC News reported.

Dramatic thunderstorms have also battered other towns in Bedfordshire, including Flitwick, Cranfield and Marston Moretaine.

Mr Vautrey warned that temperatures are set to plunge to below-average levels for the time of year across the country.

He said: ‘During the forthcoming week, though, we see northerly winds starting to push their way in, so the cooling trend is going to continue for all of us.

‘Parts of Scotland will certainly see that by already Monday and into Tuesday, with temperatures slipping down into the low teens in places, but that cool and cold air will eventually reach many areas of the UK by the time we head throughout the rest of the week.

‘So all of us will start to see temperatures dropping below average for the time of year as we head towards the end of the week.’

Thunder brought as many as 13,000 lightning strikes yesterday – and streets in two towns were submerged in water after severe flooding left motorists struggling to safety.

Pictures showed shops and cars left underwater in Dunstable and Hitchin in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

The best of any brightness today is expected in London and South East England, with highs of 21C (70F). But wet and windy weather is expected from Wednesday and it will be cooler too, with daytime highs of just 14C in London by Saturday.

The UK average rainfall for the whole of September is 3.6in.