BREAKING NEWS Danger to life warning as thunderstorms are set to batter Britain: Met Office issues amber alert for 'significant' flooding and up to FOUR inches of rain in London and South East
An amber warning for thunderstorms has been issued for between 4am and 11am spanning major towns and cities including London, Brighton, Portsmouth, Chelmsford, St Albans and Cambridge.
Forecasters have warned of sudden flooding in roads and homes with some more remote communities at risk of being cut off, while delays to train and bus services are also likely.
Power cuts could also occur and buildings are at risk of damage from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.
Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said: 'Intense rainfall will impact parts of the UK as thunderstorms move in from France.
'A range of severe weather warnings have been issued, including an Amber warning covering southeast England and London. The intense rainfall could lead to surface water flooding as well as frequent lightning and hail too.
'The situation is evolving, and warnings may be changed or added. This weekend is expected to be busy on the roads as more schools in England and Wales break up for the summer holidays, so it's important people keep up-to-date with the very latest forecast.
'There will be spells of more pleasant weather in parts of the UK through the weekend, with some sunny spells in between systems as they move through.'
More to follow
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Lionesses to hold victory parade after historic Euro 2025 win
The England women's football team will take part in an open-top bus parade in central London on Tuesday after their Euro 2025 victory over Spain.A procession along The Mall will begin at 12:10 before a ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham will be able to attend the event for free and the celebrations will be broadcast live across the BBC, ITV and Monday, the Lionesses were greeted by jubilant crowds as they landed back in the UK, before attending a reception at Downing Street hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. The ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial will be hosted by former England star Alex Secretary Lisa Nandy said the Lionesses' homecoming parade would be a chance for fans to "cheer these heroes home" after the team had "done our country proud".Hundreds of fans holding flags and dressed in England kits waited outside Southend Airport on Monday to catch a glimpse of the triumphant defended their European title with a 3-1 penalty shootout victory in the Euro 2025 final in Basel on Kelly scored the winning spot-kick following two saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, helping the squad become the first English team to win a major tournament on foreign home, more than 16 million people saw the match live on TV - the most-watched television moment of the year so far."The Lionesses have brought it home again," Rayner said during the No 10 event. "And what a fantastic feeling that is. Champions of Europe again."England manager Sarina Wiegman also gave a short speech - joking that being at Downing Street was "different from standing next to a pitch". Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was in Scotland on Monday meeting US President Donald Trump, held a video call with Wiegman and some of the England squad during the reception."It's lovely here," the England coach could be heard telling Sir Keir during the five-minute call, as she thanked him for supporting the team during the event came hours before ministers announced plans to double the amount of time women's and girls' football teams get allocated at government-funded sports government previously pledged to spend £900m on major UK sporting events and grassroots facilities - including £400m for new and upgraded sports facilities over the next four say a new taskforce will bring together leaders from across sport and academia with the aim of replicating the progress made in women's football in other on Monday, King Charles III paid tribute to the Lionesses, saying they had the Royal Family's "warmest appreciation and admiration". It is understood plans for a reception in the autumn at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle are being explored by about calls for the team to be recognised with honours, the prime minister's spokesman stressed there was an independent process for he added: "I hope we'll see lots of nominations for this incredible winning team."Downing Street dismissed calls for an extra bank holiday following the victory, with the spokesman saying: "If we had a bank holiday every time the Lionesses win we'd never go to work."Royal Mail has, however, announced plans to mark England's win with a special postmark, which will be applied to stamped mail across the UK from Monday to reads: "It's Home. Again. Champions of Europe 2025. England Women's Football Squad."
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
China floods: more than 30 killed in Beijing and tens of thousands evacuated
More than 30 people have been killed by heavy rain and flooding in Beijing and a neighbouring region, state media have reported, as tens of thousands more were evacuated from China's capital. State broadcaster CCTV said that as of midnight on Monday, 28 people had died in Beijing's hard-hit Miyun district and two others in Yanqing district as of midnight. Both are outlying parts of the sprawling city, far from the downtown. On Monday a landslide in neighbouring Hebei province killed four people, with eight other still missing. Heavy rain started over the weekend and intensified around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, with the capital getting rainfall of up to 543.4mm in its northern districts, Xinhua said. Beijing relocated 80,322 residents as the rain hit, Xinhua reported. Roads and communication infrastructure were damaged, and 136 villages were left without power as of midnight Monday. Late on Monday, Chinese president Xi Jinping ordered 'all-out' search and rescue efforts to minimise casualties. Beijing issued its highest-level rain and flood alerts on Monday, advising residents to not leave their homes. Authorities released water from a reservoir in Miyun district that was at its highest level since it was built in 1959. Authorities warned people to stay away from rivers downstream as their levels rose and as more heavy rain was forecast. Heavy flooding washed away cars and downed power poles in Miyun, which borders Hebei's Luanping county. Uprooted trees lay in piles with their bare roots exposed in the town of Taishitun, about 100km northeast of central Beijing. Streets were covered with water, with mud left higher up on the wall. 'The flood came rushing in, just like that, so fast and suddenly. In no time at all, the place was filling up,' said Zhuang Zhelin, who was clearing mud with his family from their building materials shop. Beijing authorities launched a top-level emergency response on Monday evening, ordering people to stay inside, closing schools, suspending construction work and stopping outdoor tourism and other activities until the response is lifted. The heaviest rain in Beijing was expected early Tuesday, with rainfall of up to 30cm forecast for some areas. The central government said in a statement it had sent 50m yuan (about $7m) to Hebei and dispatched a high-level team of emergency responders to help the affected areas. Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters from heatwaves to floods to wildfires. At least a dozen of the most serious events of the last decade would have been all but impossible without human-caused global heating. With Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Lionesses parade: The route and key timings as thousands of England fans to descend on central London
The Lionesses will celebrate with thousands of England fans in central London today as the players take part in an open-top bus procession. The bus will carry the team through central London, allowing supporters to celebrate the team's defence of their Women's Euros title alongside the likes of Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly and catch a glimpse of the silverware. Here is all you need to know. Where will the parade go and when? The team's open-top bus will travel along The Mall from 12.10pm. It will end with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, which is expected to start at roughly 12.30pm and end at 1pm, the Football Association (FA) announced. The Royal Marines Portsmouth band and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will perform on the stage and highlights from the tournament will be shown on big screens. England manager Sarina Wiegman will then lead her triumphant team out on stage to lift the trophy. The event will be hosted by former Lioness and football pundit Alex Scott. Fans will be able to attend the event for free, but the FA have warned that the capital is going to be "very busy". "People should plan their visits carefully, both coming into central London and travelling home," the association said. How to watch You can watch coverage of the entire event live on Sky News from 10am and follow all the action with our live blog. Fans can also follow coverage of the event on the BBC, ITV and across England's social media channels. Celebrations with the deputy PM The Lionesses landed back in the UK from Basel, Switzerland, on Monday, where celebrations continued with a reception at Downing Street. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock hosted the team ahead of today's bus parade. 1:37 Sir Keir Starmer said: "The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation. "Their victory is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but an inspiration for young people across the country." 4:48 An extra bank holiday? As the team have become the first senior England side to win a major tournament on foreign soil, some have called for an extra bank holiday to mark the occasion. Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey was one of those who asked the prime minister if it was "time for that bank holiday". He was referring to comments made by Sir Keir in 2023. When, as leader of the opposition, he wrote on X that there "should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home". But with estimates suggesting an extra bank holiday would cost the economy £2.4bn, it's understood such a move isn't being planned by Downing Street. 'There is no stopping them now' The impact of the Lionesses second consecutive Euros title is already being felt across the UK. At Bearsted Football Club in Maidstone, Kent, a mural of Alessia Russo, who levelled Sunday's final with a goal in the 56th minute, has been unveiled. The club is where Russo first started playing, and chairman Jamie Houston told Sky News the Lionesses have helped transform the women's game. "Five years ago we never had a girl's football team," he told Sky correspondent Mollie Malone. "Now we have five separate teams for girls, and boys are accepting of more girls in the game. "There is no stopping them now." 1:25 Lynda Hale, who played in the England squad in the first ever international women's match against Scotland in 1972, reiterated that women's football has changed drastically since she played. "When I first started playing there was hardly anyone that would watch," she told Sky News Breakfast. "To put on the England shirt and think what we started has grown to this magnitude, and it is still going to grow, is absolutely fantastic. I think the sky's the limit in women's football." Asked what advice she would have for the current England squad after their win, Ms Hale said: "The girls need to make as many memories as they can and take everything in their stride."
