As much as four inches of rain could fall on the UK today, raising the risk of flash flooding across the southeast as the weather front stretches further north through the rest of the day
Brits are being told to brace for flash flooding today as recent searing temperatures come to a sharp halt this weekend.
A rare amber weather warning was issued yesterday as the Met Office said looming thunderstorms could cause “danger to life”.
The national forecaster said millions of Brits could be washed out as “areas of heavy rain” accompanied by roaring thunderstorms careen across the southeast this weekend and move north over the course of the day.
The weather front could pour up to four inches of rainfall on the British Isles, which will dramatically raise the risk of flash flooding, leading to “significant impacts”, with urban areas at particular risk.
The amber warning states: “Areas of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move northwards during the early hours of Saturday, with torrential downpours in places.
“Accumulations of 20 to 40mm (0.7 to 1.5 inches) are possible in one hour, and where heavy downpours persist then as much as 70 to 100mm (2.7 to four inches) could accumulate in just a few hours. Significant impacts are possible if this occurs over more urban areas.
“The more widespread heavy rain should clear to the north during Saturday morning, but additional scattered heavy showers and a few thunderstorms could develop during Saturday afternoon and early evening, this risk covered by the much larger Yellow thunderstorm warning.”
Flood alerts in England
Beverley Brook area in Merton, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth
Bottle Brook in Derbyshire
Hastings Blacklands
Hollington Stream
Loughborough urban watercourses and local tributaries to the River Soar
Lower Lee tributaries
Polegate and Wannock
Ravensbourne area in the London Boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley, Greenwich and Croydon
River Blythe in Warwickshire
River Cole
River Erewash Tributaries in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
River Hogsmill area from Ewell to Kingston upon Thames
River Leen, Day Brook and Tottle Brook in Nottinghamshire
River Maun in Nottinghamshire
River Pinn and Woodridings Stream
River Rea
River Rythe from Oxshott to Thames Ditton
Rivers Beam and Rom
River Stour and Smestow Brook in the Black Country and South Staffordshire
River Trent Tributaries in Nottinghamshire
River Wandle area in the London Boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton, Lambeth, Croydon and Sutton
Scrase Bridge and West Common Streams
Shuttle and Cray
Silk Stream and the Deans, Edgware, Dollis, Mutton, Wembley and Wealdstone Brooks
Tributaries in Leicester City
Tributaries in North Derbyshire
Tributaries in South Derbyshire
Upper Tame
Upper Tame at Sandwell Valley
Yeading Brooks in London Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon
Flood alerts in Scotland
Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City
Central
Dumfries and Galloway
Dundee and Angus
Edinburgh and Lothians
Fife
Findhorn, Nairn, Moray and Speyside
Scottish Borders
Tayside
West Central Scotland