UK weather: Flood-ravaged Britain faces another yellow warning for rain with torrential downpours set to hit north east from Thursday
Flood-ravaged Britain faces further misery after the Met Office issued a fresh weather warning for another four inches of rain to fall later this week.
Flood-ravaged Britain faces further misery after the Met Office issued a fresh weather warning for another four inches of rain to fall later this week.
A respite from the downpours is forecast for today and tomorrow but heavy rain could then cause more travel disruption in North East England this Thursday.
The yellow warning issued today states that between 20mm (0.8in) and 30mm (1.2in) of rain could be seen widely, 50mm (2in) to 70mm (2.8in) could fall in some locations and the Pennines and North York Moors could have 80mm (3.1in) to 100mm (3.9in).
Meteorologists warned of possible power cuts and loss of other services, flooding to homes and businesses, difficult driving conditions and delays to trains. There is also a chance that ‘some communities will become cut off by flooded roads’.
It comes as Britons endured further travel chaos today after two months worth of rain in 48 hours as flooding submerged cars, closed schools and blocked rail lines.
People were rescued from narrowboats in Northampton this morning after the River Nene burst its banks, which also left Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park on the outskirts of the town submerged - while at least 45 homes flooded across the Home Counties.
But the heavy downpours didnt deter students in Portsmouth who hit the town for a night out - wearing plastic bags on their heads to protect themselves from the rain.
The Met Office has issued a fresh rain weather warning for North East England this Thursday
Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park in Northamptonshire is submerged by floodwater this morning
National Highways said it expected the A421 in Bedfordshire to remain closed today in both directions between A6 Bedford and M1 J13 near Marston Moretaine due to severe flooding
Floodwater submerges Spencer Football Club in Northampton today following heavy rain
Horse riders make their way through flood water in Walton in Warwickshire this morning
Todays AFC Wimbledon and Newcastles Carabao Cup third-round match has been postponed after a sinkhole appeared on the saturated pitch at Cherry Red Records Stadium in London
Train services continued to be impacted by flooding - with the Chiltern Railways line towards London blocked between Banbury and Bicester North in Oxfordshire, and Avanti West Coast trains impacted between Rugby and Milton Keynes Central.
London Northwestern Railway said its Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley would be suspended until at least this Sunday because of the deluge.
The Environment Agency had 32 warnings for expected flooding and 95 alerts for possible flooding in place for England today - including six across Greater London.
It comes after parts of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire endured more than 100mm (4in) of rain in 48 hours - with Woburn in Bedfordshire suffering 132mm (5.2in), more than twice the amount of its September average rainfall.
The National Grid said it had seen a weeks worth of power cuts across the weekend.
Drier but noticeably cooler conditions were forecast widely today, although Scotland and northern England will face isolated heavy showers with a chance of thunder.
The Met Office said further weather warnings were unlikely, but did point ahead towards a brief cold snap which is expected to arrive by the end of this week.
Several schools remained closed today due to flooding – including two in Gloucester - Hatherley Infant School and The Milestone School.
Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park in Northamptonshire is submerged by floodwater this morning
People are being rescued from narrowboats on the River Nene in Northampton this morning
Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park in Northamptonshire is submerged by floodwater this morning
Rescue crews on the scene in Northampton today after the River Nene burst its banks
Floodwater submerges Spencer Football Club in Northampton today following heavy rain
A partially-submerged parking sign is seen on the flooded A421 in Marston Moretaine today
Blackwater in the New Forest is flooded today following heavy rain in Hampshire
Stephen Dowell, headteacher at The Milestone School, told parents: It is with great regret I have to inform you that due to severe flooding caused by Fridays torrential rain, The Milestone School will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time.
Four schools in Oxfordshire were also closed due to flooding today - St James Church of England Primary School in Hanney; St Thomas More Catholic Primary School in Kidlington; Wheatley Park School in Holton; and Greyfriars Catholic School in Cowley.
National Highways said it expected the A421 in Bedfordshire to remain closed today in both directions between A6 Bedford and M1 J13 near Marston Moretaine due to severe flooding, and that it cannot provide a timeline for the road to reopen.
The northbound A5 between the A421 in Bletchley and Great Holm at Milton Keynes was closed by rising water levels this morning after one lane had been opened overnight.
Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park in Northamptonshire is submerged by floodwater this morning
Floodwater submerges Spencer Football Club in Northampton today following heavy rain
Blackwater in the New Forest is flooded today following heavy rain in Hampshire
Horse riders make their way through flood water in Walton in Warwickshire this morning
Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park in Northamptonshire is submerged by floodwater this morning
Floodwater submerges Spencer Football Club in Northampton today following heavy rain
Blackwater in the New Forest is flooded today following heavy rain in Hampshire
Floodwater submerges Spencer Football Club in Northampton today following heavy rain
Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park in Northamptonshire is submerged by floodwater this morning
Horse riders make their way through flood water in Walton in Warwickshire this morning
A Central Bedfordshire councillor said she was in tears at the enormity of the distress caused by flooding after it completely cut off her town of Flitwick.
Heather Townsend said on Facebook that she could not get hold of sandbags or road closure signs, adding that the town needed to have a far, far better response when these emergencies occur.
She added: Weve had flooding before and the Flit burst its banks, but this was unprecedented. Now these once in a lifetime incidences are happening every one-to-two years.
Todays AFC Wimbledon and Newcastles Carabao Cup third-round match has been postponed after a sinkhole appeared on the saturated pitch at Cherry Red Records Stadium in Wimbledon, South West London.
Given the state of the pitch and the repair work required, the match has instead been moved to Newcastles St James Park and will now take place on Tuesday, October 1.
Portsmouth University freshers hit the Hampshire town last night despite the heavy rain
Students ran through the rain in Portsmouth last night while others wore a bag on their head
Portsmouth University students go partying in the town yesterday despite the heavy rain
Students in Portsmouth wear bags on their heads to protect them from the rain last night
Students wait in line to get into a nightclub in Portsmouth last night during the heavy rain
Portsmouth University freshers hit the Hampshire town last night despite the heavy rain
Parts of England hit by flash flooding are now set for some respite with much drier weather today, although maximum temperatures are expected to rise no higher than the mid-teens.
Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said: There may be odd, heavier bursts just clipping the South East as a system does slowly start to move away, but its a much drier day for most people.
There is going to be some isolated showers here and there, but theyre going to be very light, nothing like the torrential rain that weve seen over the last couple of days.
River levels should start to decrease to more manageable levels elsewhere towards the end of the day as more water seeps into the ground.
The shift to drier conditions in southern areas will also signal a slight dip in temperatures.
As the system that we have had moves its way off towards the east, we start to get a bit more of a northerly flow so were bringing in that cooler northerly winds, Mr Eslick said.
The winds arent going to be strong at all, but with the direction that it is coming in, there will be a bit more of a fresher feel.
A gradual lowering of temperatures will continue through tomorrow and Thursday but it is unlikely any frost will develop with plenty of cloud around.
However, on Thursday a yellow warning - indicating heavy rain could cause some disruption - has been issued for the whole day covering much of the North East of England.
Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office, said that today is going to be much drier but there will be some rain in northern Scotland which will move south throughout the day.
He said: Through the week, temperatures will be feeling colder, temperatures in Scotland could stay in single figures.
We could see air frost overnight tonight in some rural areas of southern Scotland.
There will be some showers tomorrow morning in southern England but the rest of the day will be largely fine, he added.
An area of low pressure will move in on Thursday and stall over North East England, which is where the yellow weather warning has been issued.
But the area covered by the warning is different to those areas worst affected by the recent flooding, Mr Claydon said.
Temperatures are then expected to drop to below average on Friday across the UK.
Yesterday, commuters faced major travel disruption with four London Underground lines and the Overground part-suspended due to the flooding.
The road network around London Luton Airport was left inaccessible by the flooding for a time yesterday, although an airport spokesman said this disruption lasted for less than 30 minutes and the hub was open and fully operational.
London Fire Brigade said its 999 control officers took around 350 calls to flooding across the capital – attending incidents in areas such as Ruislip, Uxbridge, Wimbledon and Carshalton.
The service said these included rescuing people trapped in cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in underground stations, roadways, residences and commercial properties.
Dozens of people rushed to a farm in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire to save animals yesterday evening after it was hit by flooding.
And the RAC called on drivers to take extreme care and avoid driving through water deeper than 10cm (0.3ft).
Rain warnings were in place all weekend, although the final yellow alert covering much of England expired at 11.59pm last night.
