Londoners were being warned to brace for thunderstorms throughout Wednesday as the Met Office warned of downpours for much of the capital until 7pm.
The yellow severe weather alert for a large part of England and Wales warned that some flooding and travel disruption could occur due to “heavy” downpours, which could see up to 20-25mm of rain fall within an hour.
In addition, forecasters said the “unseasonably deep area of low pressure” would also bring heavy winds across the whole southern coast of England, with gales of up to 60mph.
Londoners are being warned that there is a “good chance” car and bus journeys will take longer because of standing water or hail, and that delays to rail services are “possible”.
It could be a fresh headache for rail commuters, who are facing disruption as a result of an Aslef overtime ban this week, which has left train operating companies such as Southern, South Western Railway and Thameslink warning of some reduced services.
🌧️ Heavy rain with possible thunder moving north on Wednesday morning and further torrential downpours following
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 1, 2023
🌬️ Unseasonably windy in southern regions with coastal gales and locally damaging wind gusts
⚠️ Thunderstorms breaking out, especially in central areas pic.twitter.com/zrRbB8Zwdq
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Dan Suri said the area of low pressure would leave large parts of the UK battered with a deluge of rain throughout Wednesday.
“Some locations could see 40mm of rain in just a few hours from thundery downpours,” he said.
“This deep low will also bring high winds into the UK on Wednesday, especially the south.”
A “calmer” day is expected on Thursday, although some heavy showers could persist in the east of the UK.
Met Office figures on Tuesday appeared to confirm this summer’s washout status, as last month was the UK’s sixth-ever wettest July on record.
The UK had an average of 140.1mm rain last month, but 1988 remains the UK’s wettest ever July, with an average of 150.5mm of rain.
