UK weather today: Heavy rain drenches Brits with flooded roads threatening travel chaos – and it’ll be wet for days
HOURS of heavy rain drenched Brits overnight with flooded roads threatening travel chaos.
The Met Office has warned the country could be wet for days – with a yellow thunderstorm warning in place this morning for parts of the country.
It comes after forecasters warned there could be a “danger to life” – placing an amber warning over parts of the country.
Hundreds across the UK woke in the night as the torrential rain bucketed down on their homes.
Police have this morning warned of A roads across the country potentially being forced to shut as a result of the heavy downpours.
Cops in Leicestershire and Humberside have told motorists to take care, and said they could be met with flooding on their morning commute.
Exeter Airport was also forced to close last night as a result of the flooding – sparking chaos for flyers.
The airport said: “Following Sunday afternoon’s flash flooding which caused the closure of the airport, our teams are working through the night cleaning up and we expect to be open tomorrow morning, Monday.
“Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the very latest information about their flight, and please bear with us while we do our very best to return all airport operations to normal.”
A weather warning remains in place until 8am today.
It stretches from Scarborough, down to Nottingham, seeing the east coast and inland to Leeds drenched.
Forecasters warned there was a chance downpours could see homes and businesses flooded.
The Met Office said: “Thundery showers in the east clearing as a band of rain, already across the west quickly pushes east during the morning.
“Turning fresher with showers, heavy at times, following during the afternoon. Increasingly windy.”
It warned this evening would see showers lingering, mostlt along western coasts, with a risk of blustery gales.
Forecasters said the rest of the week is likely to remain “changeable”, with more warnings of wet weather – and cooler temperatures.
The Met Office yesterday said Devon and Somerset saw more than 4in (100mm) of rain in 24 hours, above the September average of 3.4in (87mm).
Flooding saw the closure of Exeter Airport and Paignton Zoo, both in Devon.
Trains were cancelled and roads turned into rivers and a cop warned of “small lakes forming” on parts of the M5.
Hundreds of households lost their power supply and a lightning strike brought down a bedroom ceiling when it hit a home in Totnes, Devon.
The resident suffered minor injuries.
Householders used sandbags as water rose. One said: “The rain has been biblical. It came on so fast.”
Met Office expert Jonathan Vautrey said: “Some quite potent thunderstorms are developing.
“They will bring torrential downpours with hail and lightning possible.”
The unsettled conditions are expected to continue throughout the week as the tail end of Hurricane Lee sweeps in from the Atlantic.
Mr Vautrey added: “It could be quite an unsettled, autumnal week to come.”