Latest news with #southeastEngland
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Amber weather warning as thunderstorms bring threat of flooding
An amber weather warning has come into place with dangerous thunderstorms threatening to bring a weekend of flooding to parts of the UK. The warning was issued by the Met Office for London, parts of the south and south east of England from 4am to 11am on Saturday. It is the first amber warning issued for London since January 2 2024, when Storm Henk brought strong winds to central parts of England and Wales. The Met Office warned that between 20mm and 40mm of rain could fall in one hour in the warning zone, rising to between 70mm and 100mm in just a few hours where heavy downpours persist. Storms could cause flooding and pose a danger to life in some areas, the forecaster said, while buildings could be damaged by floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds. The warning says heavy rain could create 'fast flowing or deep floodwater, causing a danger to life'. 'Torrential rain, with thunderstorms in places, could lead to some significant surface water flooding during Saturday morning,' the Met Office said. An ongoing deluge may cause 'significant impacts' if it hits 'more urban areas'. It is likely homes and businesses will flood, and that flooding could happen quickly, the Met Office said, adding that some communities may be cut off if roads flood. The affected area is also covered by a yellow warning for thunderstorms, which came into place for the north of England, Midlands and eastern half of the country from midnight and runs until 9pm on Saturday. Forecasters said these storms could 'cause disruption in places'. 'Areas of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move north-westwards across a large swathe of central and eastern England through Friday night into Saturday,' the Met Office said. It added: 'Rain will likely be torrential in places, bringing 20-30mm in less than an hour, with 60-90 mm in two to three hours possible in a few places.' Frequent lightning and localised surface water flooding are also possible. A further yellow rain warning covers the eastern side of Scotland from Aberdeen to the borders from 4pm on Saturday until noon on Sunday, when another comes into place for Cornwall and much of Devon until 3am on Monday. Chief Met Office meteorologist Andy Page said: 'Intense rainfall will impact parts of the UK as thunderstorms move in from France. '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. ⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️ Torrential, thundery rain across parts of southeast England Saturday 0400 – 1100 Latest info 👉 Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ — Met Office (@metoffice) July 18, 2025 '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.' The persistent cloud and rain will keep the temperatures on Saturday relatively low. Maximum temperatures will mainly stay in the high teens to low 20s, but brighter spells in the south could reach the mid to high 20s. The AA has urged drivers to prepare for disruption and take care on the roads. National Rail advised passengers to check the service before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys, with speed restrictions possible in affected areas. The weather is expected to remain unsettled on Sunday with showers or longer spells of rain, some of it heavy and thundery. Unsettled conditions are forecast to last until next week before showers ease by Wednesday.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
UK weather: Amber warning as thunderstorms to bring flash flooding
Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning. It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared. This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water. Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours. It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet hosepipe ban is expected to last until following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations. The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Summer holiday travel warning as drivers brace for carnage on roads this weekend – with 1,000s ALREADY stuck in traffic
BRITS are facing a weekend of travel chaos amid a summer holiday travel warning for drivers. Thousands of families are already stuck in traffic as travellers have hit packed roads to getaway at the start of the longest school holiday of the year. The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings between today and Monday, including an amber warning for thunderstorms for part of the UK. Motorists in the affected area have been warned of "torrential rain" which could lead to some "significant surface water flooding" on Saturday morning. The warning, in place from 4am until 11am on Saturday, covers much of south-east England, including large swathes of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Hampshire, and London. The Met Office has warned that heavy rain could lead to "spray and sudden flooding" on roads. This, it warns, could then lead to "difficult driving conditions and some road closures". National Highways has advised drivers to take caution on the roads this weekend and frequently check traffic conditions. The Met Office has also said that the thunderstorms could lead to "some cancellations of train and bus services", causing misery for countless other travellers. There could also be "some damage to buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds" as well as a "danger to life" from "fast flowing or deep floodwater". The Met Office explained: "Areas of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move northwards during the early hours of Saturday, with torrential downpours in places. "Accumulations of 20-40 mm are possible in 1 hour, and where heavy downpours persist then as much as 70-100 mm could accumulate in just a few hours. "Significant impacts are possible if this occurs over more urban areas. "The more widespread heavy rain should clear to the north during Saturday morning, but additional scattered heavy showers and a few thunderstorms could develop during Saturday afternoon and early evening, this risk covered by the much larger Yellow thunderstorm warning." The amber area is entirely encapsulated by a much larger yellow thunderstorm warning for the vast majority of England. Much of the country, excluding regions of the South West, is under the warning, which kicks in from midnight tonight until 9pm tomorrow. It warns of "heavy rain with some thunderstorms", which could lead to travel disruption and a possible "danger to life". More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun. 1
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
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
Parts of southern England are set to be battered by torrential rain on Saturday which could cause 'significant' flooding and a danger to life, the Met Office said. 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
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Can you water the garden during a hosepipe ban?
Temperatures in the UK are set to soar again on Friday, with a peak of 30C forecast in some areas and hosepipe bans introduced in many parts of the country. Much of the country has experienced sweltering weather in recent weeks, with many areas meeting heatwave conditions as temperature surged to over 34C earlier this month. While recent days have seen a dip in warmth, the very hot weather is set to return on Friday, but the Met Office is not predicting a heatwave this time. In fact, after Friday, things get more unsettled, with heavy rain and thunderstorms set to sweep in over the weekend. Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: 'We're starting to see south westerly winds come in, that's bringing in hotter and more humid conditions, particularly in southern areas, we are going to see temperatures climbing again. 'There is the potential for 30C around the London region by the time we reach Friday, other areas around south east England will push towards high 20s... Friday is looking to be the peak of the current hot spell. 'This heat is not going to be as widespread as what we've just come out of, areas to the north aren't going to be seeing the same highs." Despite a chance of heavy showers over the weekend, hosepipe bans will remain, while others are set to come into force over the next few days. What is a heatwave? According to the Met Office, a heatwave is classed defined as a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold. This threshold varies depending on the county in England, Scotland and Wales, while Northern Ireland has its own single threshold. Low pressure has now returned to the British Isles, with weather fronts expected to bring storms and showers over the weekend ⛈️But it will still feel warm, with some mild and muggy nights on the way 🌡️ — Met Office (@metoffice) July 16, 2025 For example, the threshold in London is 28C, while on the south east coast it is 27C. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the threshold is 25C. Where are the hosepipe bans? Yorkshire Water was the first major water company to bring in a recent hosepipe ban, which came into effect last Friday. South East Water then announced a hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex from Friday, and Thames Water is bringing in a ban from next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire. On Wednesday, Southern Water became the latest company to bring in a hosepipe ban, to protect rare chalk stream habitat. The company said restrictions on hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars would come in for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Monday. Am I allowed to water my garden during a hosepipe ban? The short answer is yes – but, as the name makes clear, you should not water your garden with a hosepipe during a ban. Hosepipe bans are officially known as temporary use bans, or TUBs – the rules of which are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991. A TUB prohibits people from using a hosepipe that is connected to their mains water supply. Their purpose is to reduce demand for water when supplies are low. As a result, you should not water your garden with a hosepipe and you could risk fines of up to £1,000 if you ignore a ban. However, you can still use a watering can, a bucket, or pots and pans to water your plants. How can I conserve water and look after my plants? There are some very simple things you can do to keep your plants watered during periods of extreme heat or hosepipe bans. One tip is to keep the water from cooking pasta and pour it (once cold) onto your plants. You can also use a water butt, which collects rainwater that can be used to water the garden. Watering the base of your plants can also reduce evaporation and ensures water reaches the roots – where it is most needed, reducing the need for frequent feeding. Watering early in the morning, when temperatures are lower, allows plants to absorb water, while a watering can ensures more focused watering and reduces water waste from using a hosepipe. Weeds can also compete for water with the plants you actually want around so pulling them out can make sure the water goes where you want it to go.
