Thunderstorms set to bring more disruption after heavy downpours cause flooding

Parts of London endured more than half a month’s worth of rainfall in one night.

Torrential downpours overnight led to flooding and travel disruption (Joe Sene/PA) (PA Wire)

More disruption is expected as parts of Britain face thunderstorms after torrential downpours led to rush-hour flooding.

New weather warnings have been issued for heavy showers and thunderstorms on Thursday evening, which the Met Office said are likely to bring some disruption.

Parts of London endured more than half a month’s worth of rainfall in one night as people woke to downpours, flooded roads and transport problems.

In the South East of England, some train and underground services were hit by cancellations and delays.

The Met Office had warned that spray and flooding on roads could lengthen journey times while flooding of homes and businesses was possible due to heavy rain overnight.

A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued from 8pm on Thursday until 6am on Friday for the south coast of England, with the Met Office saying flooding is likely as well as damage to some buildings and structures from lightning strikes, more transport delays, and possible short-term loss of power.

A similar warning has been issued for south Wales and the South West of England from 3pm on Thursday until midnight.

A yellow weather warning for rain, covering the south of England from Portsmouth to Canterbury and parts of London, was in place until 3pm on Thursday.

A total of 64mm of rain fell in Horsmonden in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, while some places saw over 50mm of rain in a 24-hour period, the Met Office said.

The forecaster said the top rainfall totals recorded in the 12 hours from 9pm on Wednesday until 8am on Thursday were at Kew Gardens in west London, where 42.2mm fell, and Odiham in Hampshire, where 40.2mm fell.

The weather service said the average rainfall for the entire month of November in Greater London is 69.3mm and in Hampshire is 104.65mm.

Commuters faced issues with rush-hour transport due to the wet weather.

On Thursday morning, Transport for London (TfL) said there were delays to some services due to flooding while South Western Railway said that flooding had blocked lines leading to cancellations and delays.

Kent County Council warned people to “be careful out there” after it had multiple reports of weather-related issues across its road network due to “strong winds and heavy rain”.