Dozens of flood warnings as thunderstorms and hail to hit today – before snow for some areas
THUNDERSTORMS and hail will batter parts of Britain today.
Dozens of flood alerts are in force amid the deluge, which will bring “blustery showers” for many, the Met Office warns.
The South will bear the brunt of the wet weather, where it will be “windy but mild”.
Several areas – including Hampshire, Sussex, Essex and Kent – will see “heavy” and “persistent” rain with “a risk of hail and thunder”, forecasters say.
The far north will also take a hit, and elsewhere will experience a mixture of sunny spells and strong gusts, with temperatures hovering in the low teens.
The Met Office said: “Sunny spells and heavy blustery showers continuing through the afternoon.
“Hail, thunder and lightning possible in some of the heavier showers.
“More persistent rain and strong winds affecting parts of the far north and far south.”
A total of 43 flood warnings and 83 alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency in England, primarily covering coastal regions.
A further 27 warnings and 11 alerts are in place in Scotland, and 11 and 15 respectively in Wales.
All urge the public to be prepared, take action to protect themselves and their property, and monitor local conditions before travelling.
Photos taken at Mersea Island in Essex show motorists making their way through water that is reportedly 3ft deep in places.
And in Cornwall, several roads in Looe are shut due to floodwater.
By tonight, the rain will clear from the South East to give western and northern areas a good soaking.
Friday will be another day of sunshine and showers, heaviest and most frequent in the south and west with gusty winds, according to the Met Office.
Scotland will experience some rain and drizzle, while conditions look a little drier in Wales.
Despite officially being spring, things will turn wintry come the weekend.
Saturday will see “scattered, heavy showers” with more persistent rain in the south by the evening.
And snow will fall in some areas on Sunday – mostly in the north and east.
‘BRISK BREEZES’
By Monday, temperatures will remain below average for the time of year, with frost and wintry showers, the Met Office predicts.
Meteorologist Alex Deakin said: “Today, showers will develop as we go through the afternoon across parts of eastern England and southern Scotland, with frequent showers for Northern Ireland and northern England.
“Some brighter spells with some sunshine elsewhere, but clouding over in the south as that weather front moves up with rain getting on to the south coast by the end of the afternoon.
“It is pretty blustery, quite light winds over central and northern Scotland, but elsewhere, gusty conditions throwing the showers across pretty rapidly, but also making it feel a little cooler than it actually is.
“Certainly a fairly wet evening for East Anglia and the South East.
“A brisk breeze will bring a coolish start to Friday but plenty of sunshine to begin with before plenty more showers developing quite widely by the afternoon.
“Again, they’ll tend to zip through on a brisk wind, likely in places to be pretty heavy and perhaps even thundery.
“An area of low pressure will bring even more showers on Friday evening, so a pretty wet end to the day.
“Into Saturday and Sunday, more showers before a northerly wind brings colder air during the course of the weekend.”