The UK saw rain, hail and thunderstorms batter regions on Monday, but the Met Office said more settled weather can be expected heading into the rest of the week.
An amber thunderstorm warning was issued on Monday as parts of the UK were hit by heavy rain and strong winds, while roads were flooded around the country.
The torrential rain temporarily halted the Manchester City trophy parade, which celebrated the club winning the treble, with the start time pushed back half an hour to 7pm due to the downpours.
Driving conditions worsened and the UK weather service warned some communities could temporarily be cut off due to floods.
The warning covered parts of Leicester, Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester and Oxford, with Liverpool and parts of the north west also affected.
A yellow weather warning was also in place for thunderstorms and rain from on Monday, covering parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, much of southern England, Wales, and the Midlands and including London, Manchester and Bristol.
But Met Office forecaster and meteorologist Simon Partridge said the worst of the thunderstorms was now passed and drier weather was expected going into the latter parts of the week.
He said: “We’ve had some very heavy thunderstorms today. Quite widely we’ve seen around 15mm of rain fall within one hour but in one or two spots we did see close to 30mm of rain in an hour which has caused some localised flooding which was very short-lived.
“It also created some very tricky driving conditions for a spell too.
“The good news is the worst of it is now leaving, as we cool down through the evening it will give the thunderstorms less energy and it will be starting to clear into the Irish Sea.
“We do, already, have some thunderstorm warnings out for tomorrow. These are looking like they’re going to be down a notch or two compared to what we’ve seen today.
“We’ve got high pressure starting to rebuild over the course of the day and when you get high pressure that’s what gives us lots of dry, settled weather, like what we’ve had over the last couple of weeks.
“That’s becoming more established tomorrow and through the week so we will see a lot of the country tomorrow be dry with sunny spells.
“The thunderstorms have gradually been working their way westwards over the last couple of days because the area of the warmest and most humid air has drifted its way westwards, as a result, tomorrow we’re expecting to see thunderstorms across parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“A few heavy rain spells are possible and could see some heavy downpours so there is the potential to see 20mm-plus of rain over a couple of hours, so not as much as we’ve seen over the last couple of days but certainly enough that anyone travelling will have to be aware.”
Heading into Tuesday, the Met Office has issued yellow thunderstorm warnings to parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland from 12pm to 9pm, with areas affected expected to see heavy rainfall, hail and thunderstorms.
Bookshop owner Emma Corfield-Walters was briefly trapped in her car when a flash flood hit Crickhowell, Wales.
She told PA news agency: “The flooding was on the High Street in Crickhowell and happens every 2-3 years when we have a short heavy rain storm and the ground is hard and dry.
“The drains don’t cope and sadly the business at the bottom end of the High Street are flooded.
“As it’s an ongoing issue I’m at a loss to know why flood prevention measures haven’t been put in place or adapted.
“Water has entered The Britannia Pub and Grenfell and Sons which is a village store that sells everything. Both family run businesses.”
Tuesday is expected to be another hot day across the UK as both London and Manchester are forecast to see highs of 28C during the day.
The Mayor of London has also issued a high air pollution warning to those in the capital, the second of the year, caused by high temperatures and pollution being carried over from the continent.
Sadiq Khan asked people to do their part to stop themselves contributing to the pollution levels.
He said: “Pollution and heat can be a dangerous combination, which is why I’m urging Londoners to look after themselves and each other by choosing to walk, cycle or take public transport, avoid unnecessary car journeys, stop their engines idling and refrain from burning wood or garden waste, all of which contribute to high levels of pollution.
“This is particularly important in order to protect those who are most vulnerable and help us to build a safer and greener London for all.”
