Wet weekend in store as Britain braces for plunging temperatures

Britain is facing weekend downpours as temperatures turn colder. Last night (Thursday, November 3), the Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for the south-east lasting until 6am today.

It said flooding was likely, as well as damage to some buildings and structures from lightning strikes, transport delays, and power cuts. Up to 40 mm of rain was expected to fall in the area, stretching from Weymouth to Canterbury in just a few hours.

Forecasters say parts of the country will see further rainfall during today, which will start cold and frosty, before heavier, more widespread downpours over the weekend. Aidan McGivern, of the Met Office, said: “Across the rest of the UK a ridge of high pressure is building in, the isobars are opening out and so lighter winds, clear skies and temperatures falling away.

“A few mist and fog patches first thing in places, but also low temperatures, low single figures and in some areas, a touch of air frost could get as low as -3C across sheltered parts of northern UK. Still some showers in the western fringes and showery rain, which will be slow to clear in the south-east corner where there could be some heavy rain until mid-morning.

“Eventually, it does clear and then blue skies for many except for the west, and specifically the north-west, and the exposed coasts where there will be some further showers coming through, not as lively as we’ve seen at times during the week.”

He said temperatures will remain lower than recently seen during the day, before bands of rain move in from the west tomorrow. The Met Office website said: “Rain spreading east on Saturday, after a chilly start in the east.

There was widespread flooding in Surrey and across the south-east yesterday and more rain is forecast (Naz Choudhury)

“Rain then lingering across south-east England on Sunday; sunshine and showers, locally heavy, elsewhere.”

It comes after parts of London endured more than half a month’s worth of rainfall in one night and people woke yesterday to downpours, flooded roads and transport problems. A total of 64mm of rain fell in Horsmonden in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, while some places saw more than 50mm of rain in a 24-hour period, the Met Office said. Some train and underground services were hit by cancellations and delays.

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