Terrifying second ‘twister’ sweeps throughout duel carriageway
This is this the dramatic moment a ‘mini tornado’ swept across a duel carriageway – sending debris swirling into the air.
Motorists watched on in shock as the thick cloud appeared above a road in Luton, Bedfordshire, just after 4pm on Sunday.
Objects, including a trampoline, were thrown high into the air and gusts of wind also brought down branches and blew tiles off roofs.
BBC East senior weather presenter Gillian Brown said: ‘This weak tornado swept across Luton yesterday [Sunday].
‘It was associated with the thunderstorms moving across southern Britain.’
This is this the dramatic moment a ‘mini tornado’ swept across a duel carriageway – sending debris swirling into the air
Motorists watched on in shock as the thick cloud appeared above a road in Luton, Bedfordshire, just after 4pm on Sunday
Objects, including a trampoline, were thrown high into the air and gusts of wind also brought down branches and blew tiles off roofs
It comes as parts of the country were hit by a barrage of flooding on Monday after a month’s worth of rain deluged the country.
Many places in Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire saw more than 100mm of rain in the last 48 hours.
Woburn in Bedfordshire experienced the most rainfall with 132mm recorded over the same period, more than twice the amount of its September average, the Met Office said.
Schools were closed, Tube lines shut and football matches were cancelled across parts of central and southern England.
Meanwhile, AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle’s Carabao Cup third-round match on Tuesday was called off due to ‘extensive overnight flooding’ at the Cherry Red Records Stadium – after a sinkhole appeared on the pitch.
The District Line, Piccadilly, Metropolitan, Bakerloo and Overground lines all suffered disruption ranging from severe delays to partial suspensions due to the floods.
London Fire Brigade said its 999 control officers have taken around 350 calls to flooding across the capital.
Firefighters said callouts included rescuing people trapped in cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in underground stations, roadways, residences and commercial properties.
An amber weather warning came into force at 5am on Monday and was in place until midnight.
A sinkhole on the pitch (centre left) and flooded walkways (right) at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, home of AFC Wimbledon in London – whose game against Newcastle is off
Firefighters pumping water out of homes along the River Purwell in Hitchin on Monday morning
Cows stranded in a flooded field on the River Anker near Nuneaton on Monday
The top of The Shard is obscured this morning as people cross London Bridge in the heavy rain
Tim Maher looks out of the window of his flooded house in Grendon, Northamptonshire, on Monday
It initially covered Worcester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Hull but an update from the Met Office said the warning area had shifted further south and southwest.
As of Monday night, 27 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – had been issued for England by the Environment Agency.
However, it is not all bad news and parts of the country that were hit by flash flooding are set for some respite with much drier but noticeably cooler conditions forecast widely.
Scotland and northern England will still see some heavy showers with a chance of thunder on Tuesday but these will be isolated and localised while further weather warnings are ‘unlikely’, the Met Office said.
There will also be a ‘fresher feel’ compared with recent days, with maximum temperatures rising no higher than the mid-teens.
Liam Eslick, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘People waking up first thing tomorrow morning will see a lot less rainfall.
‘There may be odd, heavier bursts just clipping the South East as a system does slowly start to move away, but it’s a much drier day for most people.
Speed limits are reduced on the M4 at Datchet in Berkshire on Monday due to surface water
Vehicles splash through floodwater on a country road in Eton, Berkshire, on Monday morning
Heavy rain hits Liverpool on Monday as Labour delegates arrive for the party conference
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: Carol Findon dips a mop into floodwater outside her house Grendon
A cyclist makes their way through floodwater in West London on Monday morning after heavy rain
‘There is going to be some isolated showers here and there, but they’re going to be very light, nothing like the torrential rain that we’ve seen over the last couple of days.’
National Highways said it expected the A421 in Bedfordshire to remain closed on Tuesday in both directions between A6 Bedford and M1 J13 near Marston Moretaine due to severe flooding, and that it ‘cannot provide a timeline for the road to reopen’.
London Northwestern Railway said its Marston Vale line, which operates services between Bedford and Bletchley, would be suspended until September 30.
Mr Eslick said the heaviest rain on Tuesday would be in and around Scotland, with any surface water flooding on roads very localised.
River levels should start to decrease to more manageable levels elsewhere towards the end of the day as more water seeps into the ground.
The shift to drier conditions in southern areas will also signal a slight dip in temperatures.
‘As the system that we have had moves its way off towards the east, we start to get a bit more of a northerly flow so we’re bringing in that cooler northerly winds,’ the forecaster said.
Heavy rain overnight has caused some roads to flood in Essex on Monday, as pictured above
A woman attempts to hold onto her umbrella as she crosses London Bridge in the rain yesterday
A vehicle is driven through floodwater in Dunsden, Oxfordshire, on Monday after heavy rain
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for all of Monday amid the heavy rain
‘The winds aren’t going to be strong at all, but with the direction that it is coming in, there will be a bit more of a fresher feel.’
Southern England is likely to see highs of around 16C, while parts of Scotland will only reach 11C.
A gradual lowering of temperatures will continue through Wednesday and Thursday but it is unlikely any frost will develop with plenty of cloud around.
