Thunderstorms to return across UK with heavy showers and potential flooding

9 August 2021, 13:53

Thunderstorms are expected to return across the UK on Monday afternoon, bringing heavy showers and potential flooding.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning ahead of the storms, covering the south of England and Northern Ireland until 9pm and parts of Scotland until 11pm.

Downpours could lead to parts of England facing 10-20mm rain in a short space of time or 20-40mm over two or three hours.

As a result, there is a small chance that some communities could become cut off by flooded roads, the Met Office said.

There could also be some travel disruptions, with potential delays and cancellations to train and bus services.

A flood warning has been issued for the River Uck in East Sussex as well.

People in Buxted and on Hempstead Lane have been urged to try and protect their homes, with England flood authorities describing the river as "high and rising".

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Meteorologist Craig Snell said: "For a lot of the UK tomorrow it will be like what we have seen over the weekend, plenty of showers around and some of those showers will be heavy.

"As we head towards the middle of the week, the showers do take a bit of a step back and we generally turn a little bit drier for most as we go into Tuesday.

"There will be some showers around across northern and eastern parts but they won't be as impactful as they have been."

He continued: "Certainly down in the southern half of the UK, we certainly might have a good few decent days towards the second half of the week, where we will replace the showers with some sunshine and some warmer temperatures.

"So it turns into a bit of a north-south split as we go through this week but I think for all of us the heavy rain will have passed."

The previous weekend of downpours saw the worst washouts in northern England and southern Scotland.

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It comes after the UN released its climate change report ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in November.

The review from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that humans were "unequivocally" driving global warming, with the world expected to reach or exceed temperature rises of 1.5C over the next two decades.

The UK has experienced bouts of extreme weather in recent months as a result of changes in climate, varying from heatwaves to flash flooding.

In response to the 'code red for humanity', Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Today's report makes for sobering reading, and it is clear that the next decade is going to be pivotal to securing the future of our planet.

"We know what must be done to limit global warming – consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline."