A yellow warning for thunderstorms remains in force across London and much of England until 10pm on Wednesday, as rain swept over the capital overnight.
Met Office weather maps showed rain across the capital in the early hours, bringing 8mm of rain in some places. So far, London appears to have avoided any thunderstorms.
Forecast for Wednesday
Forecasters had predicted “a band of heavy showers and thunderstorms” hitting the capital on Wednesday morning, with further showers and stormy weather in the afternoon. Current forecasts from the BBC and Met Office predict rain showers during parts of the day, but not thundery downpours. Rain is set to fall during the morning rush hour.
The yellow warning has been issued from 3am to 10pm on Wednesday across much of England, including London and the South East, the Midlands, East Anglia, and parts of the North West, South West, and eastern Wales.
Risk of flooding
The Met Office warned that showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon “may be intense”, with 20-30mm of rain falling in less than an hour and 40-50mm possible in two to three hours in a few spots, leading to some surface water flooding.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sir Sadiq Khan put London on alert for flash floods as thunderstorms were forecast to erupt over the city. The London Mayor urged Londoners to prepare for possible torrential downpours.
“From 3am, London is at risk of severe flash floods,” he posted on X. “Intense downpours could see up to 50mm of rainfall arrive in the space of just a few hours - almost the total average rainfall for August.”
Potential impacts
Yellow flood warnings mean there is a small chance that businesses and homes could experience flooding. The Met Office also warns that where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.
Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures. There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost. The hard ground after the sustained hot weather is expected to increase the risk of flash flooding.
The rainfall will be welcomed by many after London was declared to be under a drought following the record dry summer, which left the capital under a hose pipe ban and its parks brown and dried out.
