UK weather – live: London's Victoria station floods amid 'danger to life' storm warning
Tube stations closed across capital as transport network overwhelmed by heavy rain
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Parts of London are experience flash flooding as thunderstorms overwhelm the country’s parched landscape with heavy rain.
London’s Victoria Station was partially flooded as several tube stations were forced to close as they were overwhelmed by run-off from torrential rain.
Footage from around the capital showed commuters contending with deep pools of water that had collected on roads around the evening rush hour.
The Met Office issued both yellow and amber weather warnings for thunderstorms covering southeast England and south Wales.
Dan Suri, forecaster for the Met Office, said: “With no meaningful rainfall in some southern locations since June, soils in these areas have become baked by the sun turning them into hard almost impenetrable surfaces.
“Any rainfall in these areas won’t be able to soak away and instead it will wash off soils and other hard surfaces, creating flash flooding in some areas.”
Five Sheffield roads closed due to flooding
Major roads have flooded in Sheffield after heavy rainfall hit the area.
Local media outlets report Abbeydale Road has completely flooded following the rain.
South Yorkshire police has asked people to avoid these five routes too.
Flash flooding has also been reported outside Woodseats Medical Centre on Chesterfield Road, Woodseats.
A car is also stranded and partially submerged by water on High Street, Beighton.
Today's forecast for England and Wales
Further torrential showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast today, according to the met office, but some places will be drier and sunnier.
“Whilst some places will miss them, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely on Wednesday across central, southern and eastern parts of England and southeast Wales,” it said.
“20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 60 mm in less than three hours.”
“A few spots could see more rainfall than this still, whilst hail and lightning may be additional hazards.”
The Environment Agency had issued 29 flood alerts by yesterday night.
Read more:
Torrential rain and thunderstorms forecast across England and Wales
The Environment Agency had issued 29 flood alerts by Tuesday night.
Road erupts after flooding in Sheffield
Flash flooding has caused the road to burst open in Sheffield.
Emergency repairs are underway after damage to a street near the city centre.
Olivia Blake, Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, said local authorities were aware of the "dramatic burst" and were dealing with it,
"Beware of danger of flash flooding and do contact relevant authorities with any issues you come across," she posted on Twitter.
‘Remarkable’ waterspout appears over sea as storms hit Cornwall coast
A waterspout was caught on camera when it appeared over the sea as the Cornwall coast was hit by storms today.
Footage recorded by Mark McCartney shows the huge waterspout whirled overhead near Fowey.
“It was all an amazing sight, remarkable,” he said.
Watch the video here:
Waterspout appears over sea as storms hit Cornwall coast
A waterspout was caught on camera when it appeared over the sea as the Cornwall coast was hit by storms on Tuesday, 16 August.Following weeks of dry, hot weather, the heatwave in the UK was broken by a downpour of torrential rain and thunderstorms.Footage recorded by Mark McCartney shows the scene as the waterspout whirled overhead near Fowey.“It was all an amazing sight, remarkable,” McCartney said.A yellow thunderstorm warning was in place for England and Wales that evening, valid through to midnight.Click here to sign up to our newsletters.
Roads flooded as heavy rain sweeps UK
Roads in parts of the UK have flooded as heavy rain and thunderstorms sweep across the country for the second day running.
Footage and photos shared to social media showed torrential rain and floodwater sweeping through towns across southern England and Wales, including Newquay in Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton in Devon, Haywards Heath in West Sussex, Port Talbot in south-west Wales, and Bridport in Dorset.
One Twitter user shared a video of floodwater in Newquay:
Another Twitter user in Bishop's Tawton, north Devon, shared footage of sandbags in place to prevent houses being deluged:
Scotland has also seen travel disruption on rail networks and roads on Tuesday following heavy showers.
Experts said heavy rainfall runs off very dry land, creating surface water floods, and will not soak into the ground to relieve drought-hit areas.
Simple video experiment shows how droughts increase flash flooding risk
With nothing more than three cups of water, a UK scientist has clearly illustrated how drought conditions can heighten the risk of flash flooding once rain does start to fall (Harry Cockburn writes).
In the experiment, Dr Robert Thompson from the University of Reading’s Meteorology Department, filmed himself at different times of year turning a clear plastic cup full of water upside down onto the same bit of ground.
The footage clearly reveals how weather conditions affect the absorption rate of water.
Drenched Britain: In pictures
Round-up of pictures from the damp scenes around the country today:
Lightning strikes during firework display for extraordinary photo
Lightning struck at the same time as a firework display to mark the end of a regatta on the Yorkshire coast.
Photographer David Kirtlan captured the spectacle over Whitby harbour after the town’s annual regatta.
The firework display, which marked the end of the three-day event on Monday evening, was under threat due to the weather – thick mist over the harbour had earlier forced the cancellation of a planned display by the Red Arrows.
Photographer David Kirtlan, who captured the moment on his Canon R6, said: “Lots of the races were cancelled and the Red Arrows display was cancelled.
“The firework display was touch and go, but the rain held off. When the fireworks were going off, I just kept taking photographs and caught the moment the lightning struck.
“How often do you get lightning and a firework display together? The weather has made things both difficult and amazing at the same time.”
The event, which began in 1847, is one of the oldest sea regattas on the North East coast.
UK needs ‘continuous rain’ not ‘outburst’, says meteorologist
Today’s downpours are “not the right kind of rain” to restore Britain’s parched grasslands.
Meteorologist Clare Nasir said the country needs moderate “continuous rain” rather than the short, heavy bursts seen so far this week.
Toxic algae blooms caused by heatwave turns lake and rivers green
British rivers and lakes are being choked with algae thanks to the record-breaking heatwave that has scorched the UK (Samuel Webb writes).
Cumbrian beauty spot Lake Windermere is among waterways and bodies of water filled with algal blooms, which tend to thrive in high temperatures and after sewage is discharged into waterways.
Blooms of blue-green algae can be toxic to humans and animals and can cause skin rashes, vomiting, stomach pains, fever, and headaches.
People are being warned not to go into the water after blue-green algae was confirmed in Bedford.
The algae – cyanobacteria – was found in Priory Country Park’s lakes and other rivers across the district, Bedford Borough Council warned.
Toxic algae blooms caused by heatwave turns lake and rivers green
Two dogs died from suspected algae poisoning in Scotland
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