Thunderstorms to batter the UK with flash flooding, hail, lightning and half a month's worth of rain today (but there'll still be a hosepipe ban)
England and Scotland could see up to 40mm (1.6in) of rain in just two hours, while Northern Ireland will be worst hit where 75mm (3in) may accumulate in 18 hours.
It comes as the third major hosepipe ban of summer began today, with Southern Water activating restrictions for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
This follows a ban from South East Water in Kent and Sussex since last Friday, and in the Yorkshire Water area since July 11. A fourth ban from Thames Water begins tomorrow in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire.
Despite three consecutive days of heavy rain, forecasters say this will do little to replenish groundwater reserves because it is running off very dry surfaces too fast to penetrate – and therefore the downpours are not enough to lift hosepipe bans.
Yorkshire Water confirmed its restrictions will only be lifted when 'reservoir and groundwater levels return to where we need them to be', adding that the region would require 'a few months of wet weather rather than intermittent rainfall'.
Parts of the UK will experience heavy, thundery downpours today, with an amber weather warning for rain in place until 8am for the east of Northern Ireland.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge, said: 'It looks like Northern Ireland is the place where we could see the most rainfall and certainly the most impactful rainfall.
'They could see 50 to 75mm of rain within 12 to 18 hours.'
The country records an average of 89mm of rain in July, meaning more than half a month's rainfall could hit Northern Ireland in less than a day.
Forecasters have warned of a risk of flash flooding in County Antrim, Armagh and Down as the heavy showers are set to batter the country.
Meanwhile, parts of England and Scotland could see 20mm to 40mm of rain in just two hours today.
From 3am until 9pm today, the South and East of England are covered by a yellow thunderstorm warning.
By 11am the same warning will be in place for the Midlands, northern England and Scotland.
More than 11 flood alerts remain active in England and 15 in Scotland.
Where there is flooding or lightning, the Met Office has warned of a chance of delays and some cancellations to trains and buses.
There is also a small chance of power cuts and of fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.
'We could see some locally heavy downpours, 20 to 40mm of rain is possible in a couple of hours,' Mr Partridge said.
'That is potentially up to around half a month's worth of rain in a couple of hours in some places.
'You will see quite a lot of water on the roads and difficult driving conditions.
'Hopefully nothing more significant than that, it certainly won't be an issue for any of the rivers because they are quite low.'
Low pressure and humid, moist air across the country will cause the heavy, thundery showers, but even within the warning areas some places will stay dry, the Met Office said.
'There is a good chance of seeing some lightning and some hail, with some gusty winds as well,' Mr Partridge said.
The rest of the week is set to be changeable, with showers likely tomorrow and thundery downpours possible in the South East of England on Wednesday.
Temperatures this week will be around average for the time of year.
The wet weather comes after a dry and hot spring and three heatwaves so far this summer which left four regions of England in drought.
England recorded its driest March to June period since 1893, according to the Environment Agency, and dry ground can make flooding more likely as it is unable absorb as much water.
Today, Southern Water became the latest company to activate a hosepipe ban, to protect rare chalk stream habitat in response to the driest start to the year since 1976 for England.
The company said restrictions were being imposed on hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars.
The move aims to protect the Test and Itchen chalk streams, which supply most of the area's water, but are at 'critically low levels', down 24% on normal flows for the time of year, Southern Water said.
Rainfall across England was 20 per cent less than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for the country, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency has said.
Drought was declared in East and West Midlands last Tuesday, with the region joining swathes of northern England in drought status.
Southern Water's water managing director Tim McMahon said: 'We're sorry we're taking this step, but as other water companies have already done, we have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region.
'In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest.
'We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic salmon and southern damselfly.'
He said the company has been working '24/7' to find and fix leaks, and ensuring the network is working as efficiently as possible, but it is 'not enough', and he urged customers to help to reduce use by adhering to the ban.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
UK hot weather forecast as temperatures set to soar above sweltering 30C
New weather maps have revealed what major cities could be hit by scorching temperatures of up to 31C. It comes after areas across the UK have been dampened by rain Brits have been told to get out their hats and sunglasses as temperatures could climb back up to 30C due to an Iberian plume next month. New weather maps, from WXCharts, have revealed what major cities are set to heat up from as early as August 6. The charts, which are covered in red to symbolise sweltering conditions, showed that southern and south-eastern England could experience highs of 31C. After the short spell, the balmy temperatures could re-appear later this month. According to the maps, hot air will move from southwestern Europe from August 1, causing a wrath of heat to hit several cities. Birmingham and Gloucester are likely to be plunged under the conditions first. The town of Reading has also been mapped for hot temperatures. London, Southampton and Brighton are also expected to be hit by the sizzling conditions, with a fourth heatwave on the cards. However, before tropical temperatures return, parts of the UK could experience showers and fierce winds. The Met Office's long-range forecast, from July 29 to August 7, states: "A weather regime dominated by westerly winds is likely at first. This will likely bring rain and showers at times interspersed with periods of more settled weather. The north and west will most likely be the focus of any wetter and windier weather, where there may be some prolonged spells of rain at times. The highest chance of drier and sunnier weather is expected across southern and eastern parts of the country. "Through the period, high pressure may start to have greater influence as it builds northeast across the country. This bringing more prolonged settled spells to many areas. Breeziest conditions across the north of the country. Temperatures generally near average though with some warmer spells likely." The forecast, from August 8 to August 22, said: "While westerly winds will bring changeable conditions at times, some settled spells are likely to develop during August. These bringing more prolonged dry and sunny weather, especially across the south of the country but potentially spreading to all areas at times. Temperatures will likely be near or above average overall. There is a chance of some very warm or hot spells, especially in the south and east."
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- The Guardian
An octagonal city and the closed Acropolis: photos of the day
Holidaymakers and lorry drivers come to a standstill as traffic builds at the border Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Authorities have closed the Acropolis to visitors during the hottest part of the day as a heatwave engulfs the country Photograph: Petros Giannakouris/AP A picket line at Manchester Royal Infirmary as up to 50,000 resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, begin five days of industrial action over pay and conditions Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Children try to stay cool in a fountain. The peninsula has been blanketed by a double layer of high pressure that has nudged the temperature to a scorching 37C (100F) Photograph: Chung Sung-jun/Getty Images A man wades past kelp as he goes for a swim in the Pacific Ocean at La Jolla Shores in California Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP An aerial view of an octagonal fortress that forms one of the most extraordinary cities in the world. Constructed in the 17th-century by Sébastien Le Prestre, a military architect serving King Louis XIV, the city in Alsace features evenly spaced bastions, perpendicular streets and star-shaped fortifications Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A Ukrainian soldier fires D-20 artillery Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images The sun rises over the New York City skyline. An extreme heat warning is in place in New Jersey from 10am to 9pm on Friday Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters Yusuf al-Ladavi, an eight-year-old Palestinian boy, at al-Ehli Baptist hospital, where he is receiving treatment after being injured in an Israeli attack on the strip. There are more child amputees in Gaza than anywhere else in the world Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images People use poles to ride an improvised float along a flooded road. Typhoon Co-may has intensified seasonal monsoon rains Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP An environmental group carry a portable wildlife observation booth at the Punta San Juan reserve, where a decline in guano birds, sea lions and penguins has alarmed scientists Photograph: Sebastian Castañeda/Reuters Xantheia Pennisi of Australia competes during the women's 20-metre high-diving event at the World Aquatics Championships Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA Dead palm trees line a road as authorities battle an influx of red palm weevils, which have been devouring the usually hardy species Photograph: Matilde Campodonico/AP A woman at a pro-Palestinian rally holds aloft an image of a starving child. Gaza is facing human-made mass starvation caused by the blockade of aid into the territory, the head of the World Health Organization has said Photograph: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA Joaquín Romero blows air into the face of a Hereford cow to calm the animal during a livestock sale at the Rural Society's annual exposition Photograph: Natacha Pisarenko/AP The country singer-songwriter Craig Campbell performs at the Kenny Campbell Foundation benefit concert in Tennessee. The event aims to raise funds and awareness for colorectal cancer Photograph:
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
Will there be a heatwave this weekend? Latest UK weather forecast
After an erratic summer of heatwaves and torrential downpours, warm weather is forecast to return to the UK. The Met Office said parts of England are set to enjoy highs of up to 28C on Friday, with most of the country set for temperatures in the low to mid-20s. 'The best of the sunshine, the sunniest skies, will be across more central, southern, south-eastern England,' said meteorologist Alex Burkill. 'It was pretty wet here across parts of East Anglia, London and the South East yesterday. It's [now] a much drier, brighter picture. 'The sunniest skies, though, will be across some more central parts. And it's here that we are going to get the highest temperatures, [up to] 26 and 27. Maybe 28 Celsius. 'Even elsewhere, yes it's a few degrees lower than this, but if you do catch any of those bright sunny spells, temperatures should get into the low, possibly mid-20s for quite a few places. 'So feeling pretty warm, as you would expect at this time of year.' There have been three heatwaves already this summer, with temperatures climbing to almost 36C in Kent at the start of the month. In April, the UK also enjoyed a record amount of sunshine. But the jet stream that has brought on this weather has since dipped southwards, pushing areas of low pressure towards British shores, and sudden downpours have followed. Hosepipe bans, however, have remained in place after the driest spring in over a century. Moving into the weekend, an area of high pressure is expected to extend from the Azores archipelago in the mid-Atlantic and could influence the weather in the UK. It could mean a more dry weather and sunshine, especially in the south and west of the UK. There should also be fewer showers. But a heatwave is not expected to hit the UK this weekend. Temperatures will climb but top out in the mid-20s. For Saturday's forecast, the Met Office wrote: 'Cloud and outbreaks still moving slowly and erratically southeastwards across England, turning heavy across southeast England later. 'Elsewhere sunny spells and a scattering of showers. Near average temperatures.' They added: 'Sunny spells and showers on Sunday. Mostly dry Monday, with sunny spells. Breezy with showery rain in the northwest on Tuesday, dry elsewhere. Temperatures around average, warm in the south.'
