Severe thunderstorms battered the UK over the weekend, with severe weather warnings expected to continue across much of England and Wales until Monday, bringing a biblical end to a lackluster summer.
Yellow and amber rain alerts were issued for Monday and forecasters warned people to be on the lookout for localized flooding as flooded roads could leave some areas isolated and without power.
Three roads in Northampton were closed on Sunday with cars stranded by surface flooding, and several events were also postponed, including a charity cycle ride and the Sywell Classic Car and Air Show.
Thousands of homes were left without power over the weekend in areas including Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire and parts of North and West Yorkshire, and a tornado struck the Hampshire town of Aldershot on Saturday, damaging homes and downing trees.
West Midlands fire crews were also called out to lightning-damaged homes in Telford and Stoke-on-Trent, the latter of which was dramatically captured on domestic security cameras. Residents were evacuated from the town of Longton in Stoke. One resident told reporters: “We had only just arrived home when we heard a loud noise at about 5.30pm. A car pulled up outside and the driver shouted that the roof was on fire. I think around four houses were evacuated, including ours. We were all made to sit in one of our neighbours' houses.”
Wales and southern England experienced warm, wet weather with frequent thunderstorms.
Meteorologists said more than 13,000 lightning strikes had already occurred in the UK by Sunday morning, marking the end of the recent short summer.
Meteorologists predicted thunderstorms that developed in the southeast of England overnight on Sunday would move further north on Monday, with the heaviest rain hitting the Midlands before moving towards the north and southwest of England.
Further severe thunderstorms and yellow weather warnings are in place from the West Midlands to South Yorkshire and the East Yorkshire coast on Monday, with some areas at risk of getting 100 to 120mm of rain, but clearing is expected in the southeast of England.
A yellow warning is in place for much of England and Wales on Monday, but the far west of Wales and southwest of England are unaffected, and the northeast and northwest of England are largely unaffected.The Met Office said it was expected to be mostly cloudy in the north, with scattered showers in northern Scotland.
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Later in the week, an equilibrium day occurs on Tuesday, when days and nights are exactly the same length, and the storm dissipates, giving way to wet and windy weather from Wednesday onwards. Autumnal characteristics will become more pronounced on Friday as arctic air drops temperatures to 11-12°C, below average for this time of year.
Jonathan Vaughtry, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Sunday was the autumnal equinox, marking the official end of summer – and for some people, it ended with a bang.”
He added: “Rain warnings remain in place throughout Sunday for this band of rain moving across Wales and south central England. Very heavy rain is possible, which may cause problems with surface water and disruption to transport, so people should exercise caution if heading out or travelling during the day.”
