Weather forecast today: Homes evacuated in floods with more thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail today, Met Office warns
BRITS are braced for more uncertain weather conditions as thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail continue to batter parts of the country today, according to the Met Office.
Heavy downpours brought flooding to some areas, with Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service receiving calls from people stuck in water.
And residents in Somerset had to be evacuated from their homes after flash floods in the area.
In North Cadbury, 18 properties in the village became overwhelmed with water as homeowners fled.
Village hall chairman James Watts claimed that “the water reached 4ft (1.2m) in parts.”
Similar conditions were reported in parts of Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Essex.
Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said the risk of thunder and hail will persist through today and carry on into Thursday.
The meteorologist said: “Low pressure will gradually drift in from northern and western areas into Wednesday, which drift towards the south come Thursday.
“Showery rain comes in from the west, with a stronger wind. Inland, though, there will be some clearer skies and even some fog patches as temperatures dip down to single figures.
“It will be a cool start to the day, but for some it will be bright with some sunshine.
“The showery rain will bring cloud with it, with a little bit of wet weather is expected for Wales and the West Country.
“The sun will get to work making holes in the cloud, but it will means showers developing again. Once more they will be heavy with the risk of thunder, even with some hail mixed in.”
Weather conditions were also causing travel chaos for commuters in other parts of the country.
Some roads in Hertfordshire and Essex have become impassable for motorists and train services have been affected.
And a flood warning remained in place for several northern and western regions today.
Chilterns Railways reported cancellations and hour-long delays, while fellow operator Greater Anglia cancelled services between Cambridge and King’s Lynn because of “severe weather”.
In Worcestershire, a primary school was evacuated after lightning struck the building.
Michelle Teissier, landlady of the Golden Lion in Tipton St John, Devon, said the River Otter burst its banks.
She said: “It got knee-high on the road and was half-way up out kitchen door.
“All our carpets were hit and there’s silt everywhere, although we managed to raise the chairs.”
Grace Whiteman, from Newton Poppleford, said: “I’ve lived here my whole life and sort of around this area and I’ve never seen it like that.”
Another local, Hilary Penfold, said a 6ft (1.8m) high concrete wall and a brick outbuilding were demolished by water running off fields, which also jammed their car against a wall.
She said: “It was like a big tidal wave coming down. Nothing could stop it.
“I’ve only seen such storm damage on films. I’ve never seen anything like this for real, and I wouldn’t want anyone to go through it.”
Alex Wren saw some children being given piggy-back rides to keep them out of the water.
“The torrential force water was the worst I’ve seen living here for 18 years.”