Summer in Shropshire looks set to be over as forecasters warned today of more downpours to come following a wet and windy start to the week.

Heavy rain overnight caused flooding in some areas of the country, where up to 4cm of rain fell in the south in just a few hours and there were gale force winds in places. After a dry start to the day, forecasters were predicting two or three hours of heavy rain this afternoon in Shropshire.

Wednesday is expected to offer some respite in the day at least, but heavy rain is expected by forecasters on the night and all day on Thursday.

More rain is predicted for Friday in Shropshire, albeit lighter, before clearing by the evening.

Claire Austin, forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the “nasty band of heavy rain” would clear this morning but the day would remain showery with the heaviest downpours across Scotland.

She said: “It’s looking unsettled for the rest of this week.

“The meteorological summer ends in August, but there’s a lot of uncertainty about what will happen at the end of the week.

“The wet and windy weather comes from a band of low pressure being pushed across the country by the jet stream.

“This stream was much further north during the extended sunny spells of June and July, diverting much of the unsettled conditions away from the British Isles.”

Thorney Island in Hampshire saw the worst of the stormy weather overnight with nearly 4cm of rain — half falling between midnight and 1am — and winds reaching speeds of up to 40mph.

This week’s unsettled picture is bad news for families holidaying in Britain in the final weeks of the school summer break, including Prime Minister David Cameron who is in Cornwall with his family this week.

Miss Austin said the weather would improve tomorrow but the “nasty” weather would return later on on Wednesday.

Check out our online Shropshire weather forecast