Weather relief came for many Brits as rainfall finally reached some areas after weeks of droughts and extreme heat across the nation. This summer, the UK faced severe weather as half of England and all of Wales were declared to officially be in drought and hosepipe bans were announced by 10 water companies.
Record dry conditions
Rainfall has been unusually dry with Kew Gardens, in London, recording its first completely dry calendar month since record began in 1871, as not a drop of rain was recorded in July. Signs that this weather misery could soon be over for the year were spotted today after parts of the UK were hit by "heavy pulses" of rain early on Wednesday.
Several residents in Hampshire even posed with their arms wide open welcoming the dark rain clouds above them. Some areas in the country were predicted to have the "first meaningful rain for a long time" this week, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued
The forecaster also issued yellow warnings for thunderstorms in northern areas of England and Wales from Wednesday evening through to Thursday morning. Alerts were also issued for Northern Ireland from midday to midnight on Wednesday and for an area of eastern Scotland around Aberdeen from 2pm-9pm on Wednesday.
Despite the news of rain, the UK is also facing the risk of surface water floods as heavy rain falls on baked dry ground, which is unable to absorb water effectively.
