UK Weather: Map shows where floods, thunder and lightning will hit with one month’s worth of rain to falls in hours as commuters face travel hell across the country

Britain endured a month’s worth of rain in one morning today as roads were shut, train lines blocked and schools closed amid ‘significant’ flooding and travel chaos.

Commuters faced chaotic journeys into work after more than 60mm (2.4in) of rain fell in areas around London and the Home Counties between midnight and 8am.

Four London Underground lines were part-suspended due to flooding this morning – the Bakerloo, District, Metropolitan and Piccadilly – in addition to the Overground.

And some parents were scrambling to find childcare after schools were shut due to flooding in parts of Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Warwickshire and Hertfordshire.

Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire had 64mm (2.5in) of rain in the first eight hours of today; while 56mm (2.2in) fell at Croydon in South London; 54mm (2.1in) in Thame, Oxfordshire; 50mm (2.0in) in Sevenoaks, Kent; and 49mm (1.9in) in Stevenage.

The Met Office activated an amber warning for parts of central and South West England until 9pm amid concerns flooded roads could cut off some communities.

A wider yellow warning is running for all of today, covering parts of Wales, much of the south of England, the Midlands and into North West England and Yorkshire.

Some affected areas could see up to 120mm (4.7in) of rain throughout today and forecasters warned there may be more weather warnings imposed later this week.

The Environment Agency issued 76 alerts for ‘possible’ flooding and 13 warnings for ‘expected’ flooding – with three in London at South Ruislip, Beckenham and Merton.

And Newcastle United’s League Cup match against Wimbledon tomorrow night was postponed due to major flooding around the football ground in South West London. 

It comes after thunder, lightning and hail marked the official end to summer over the weekend, with yesterday’s autumn equinox signalling the start of the new season.

One homeowner from Northamptonshire has described the moment he saw a ‘wave of water’ heading towards him during flooding last night.

Tim Maher and his partner Carol Findon, from Grendon, saw their two-storey property partially submerged overnight with more than a foot of water.

Mr Maher said: ‘We’ve had an awful lot of rain in recent days and some forecasters were warning we could see a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

‘I have an app on my phone which tracks river levels and at around 8.45pm it rocketed up.

‘I decided to drive down to the bridge and saw the water breaking the banks and coming down the road towards me.

‘I quickly turned around, drove home and put up a flood barrier we’ve got up against the door. It kept out a lot of the water but we’ve had about an inch overnight.

‘We’ve had some damage to the carpets, settees and other furniture. The most difficult bit will be drying out the structure.

‘We haven’t had much sleep and at least eight houses on our road have been impacted. It would be nice to get a permanent solution to this problem.’

A hairdresser was cleaning up mud from R&R Hair Services in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, this morning after floodwater reached knee height on High Street South.

Kirsty Brewer said it was the fourth time the business had flooded in the last six or seven years and the first time it caused thousands of pounds of damage, but now they have moved all the electricals higher, so they just have to clean up the mud.

The 31-year-old, who rents a chair in the business, said: ‘It started yesterday afternoon when the whole of Dunstable was flooded. It was up to your knee deep, the road comes down so we’re sitting in a bit of a well.

‘We don’t open on Sundays or Mondays, so it’s not affected business in that way, it’s just a big clean-up. It was full of mud when we got here at 9am.

‘This is the fourth time that it has happened in the last six or seven years, so we’ve got all the electricals up, we’re prepared. We know how to handle it. Because we are a listed building we’re not allowed a flood gate.

‘The first time that it happened it was thousands of pounds worth of damage. It happened last year, it’s like a once-a-year thing.’

The Saracen’s Head pub in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, was closed on Monday morning with thick mud covering parts of the floor after it was flooded.

A worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said there was ‘a lot of damage’ and that the water had come up to his knees.

Jon Sayles, from Grendon, in Northamptonshire, said his home has been hit with ‘two feet’ of water after heavy rainfall overnight.

He said: ‘At about 9pm last night water came in through the back of the house.

‘I’ve had about two feet of water. I’ve got electrical problems, the sockets don’t work, the fridge isn’t working and there’s damage to the carpet and settees.

‘I was in bed as I’d decided to have an early night. A neighbour called me to tell me what was happening so I went to have a look and saw the water. It was unbelievable.

‘I’m still clearing up and had no sleep last night.’

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.’

Even before the warnings came into effect, Bedfordshire Police 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.’

Mr Vautrey also warned that temperatures are set to drop 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.’

Tomorrow is expected to bring longer spells of rain to northern areas and parts of Scotland whereas much of the south, Wales and the Midlands should see a largely dry day.

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 (57F) in London by Saturday.

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

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.

Police have confirmed a number of road closures across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire following ‘substantial flooding’ overnight.

Heavy rainfall yesterday into today has seen areas such as Dunstable and Hitchin partially submerged.

Bedfordshire Police said it had closed off part of Dunstable High Street due to ‘substantial flooding’, with footage shared on social media showing cars battling high water around the Saracen’s Head pub.

Central Bedfordshire Council said flooding had also hit Flitwick, Cranfield and Marston Moretaine.

North Hertfordshire Police have also advised motorists to avoid some parts of Hitchin, including Walsworth Road near the town centre.

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.’

The Environment Agency also warned of ‘significant’ flooding today across parts of England.

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

Flood duty manager Sarah Cook said ‘persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms’ could lead to some property flooding and travel disruption.

She said: ‘Persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms could lead to significant surface water flooding on Monday across parts of England.

‘The impacts could include localised flooding in urban areas and fast-responding catchments, including some property flooding as well as travel disruption. The risk from river flooding remains low.

‘Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and ready to support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.

‘We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.

‘People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation as well as following @EnvAgency on X, formerly Twitter, for the latest flood updates.’

Motoring experts and police advised drivers to take extra care on the roads today.

Chris Wood, AA Patrol of the Year, said: ‘If you do need to travel be aware driving conditions can quickly deteriorate during very heavy rainfall, with drains becoming swamped or blocked and standing water causing problems such as surface spray, reduced visibility and potentially leading to flooding.

‘Reduce speed and leave more space between yourself and other vehicles.

‘Check the travel news before you set off and take particular care where roads dip, for example under railway bridges, which are more likely to flood. If the road ahead is flooded, don’t chance it – flood water can be deceptively deep so turn around and find another route.’

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, editor at large at The Points Guy, told MailOnline: ‘For those people travelling to the airport, my advice would be to allow extra time to get to the terminal in case there are delays to Tube and rail services due to flooding.

‘This morning, the road network around Luton Airport in Bedfordshire was left inaccessible due to the flooding and many passengers were stuck in traffic tailbacks as they were approaching the airport.

‘I would also recommend that travellers keep an eye on emails from their flight providers and on FlightRadar24 to see the latest movements of their inbound aircraft, as flights could very well be delayed due to more inclement weather on the way.

‘It is also important to check the protections you have through travel insurance but especially travel disruption policies provided when you purchase travel on certain credit cards and they may operate to help you financially with any changes or extra costs associated with the disruption.’

And a Thames Valley patrol officer said: ‘The torrential rain is forming small lakes and sending up blinding spray on roads like the M4 yet there are still lunatics tearing along at 80mph.

‘At those speeds, where they can hardly see a few yards ahead, their car can aquaplane and literally take off if they hit a large patch of standing water.

‘Even the top Grand Prix drivers like Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton have to follow a safety car if there is too much rain water on the circuit.

‘These fools could easily lose control and smash into other cars, killing not only themselves but innocent road users too.’

A trampoline was sent flying into the air by a ‘mini tornado’ in Luton, Bedfordshire, yesterday 

Yesterday, thunder, lightning and hail struck parts of the UK in a dramatic end to the summer season.

Thunderstorms moved across the country on Saturday, starting in Cornwall before striking more central, towards the north-east of London, and then up through Birmingham and towards the East Midlands. 

There were road closures in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire as a result of flooding and travel disruption between Penzance and London Paddington, and Penzance and Truro, after flooding on the railway between Redruth and Camborne.

Between 2pm on Saturday and 7am on Sunday, Longcliffe in Derbyshire saw 67.6mm of rain, while Creswell in Staffordshire and Evington in Leicestershire got 65mm and 60.4mm respectively.

There were up to 13,000 lightning strikes over 24 hours to yesterday morning. One is believed to have set fire to a house in Gresford, near Wrexham in North Wales.

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