Shropshire Star

Weather warnings continue after ‘soaker’ of a day

Some areas saw more than 50mm of rain in less than 12 hours as wind, rain and thunder battered parts of the country.

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Autumn weather Sept 24th 2019

Commuters are facing delays and flooding on their way home after England and Wales suffered a “soaker” of a day on Tuesday.

Some areas saw more than 50mm of rain in less than 12 hours as wind, rain and thunder battered parts of the country.

Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said: “It’s been very autumnal.

“After that long dry spell, it’s been a bit of a soaker this morning.

“There’s been enough rainfall to cause some issues in a few places, and in the last couple of hours we have also seen some thunder in London, across central England and East Anglia.”

London commuters reported rain causing flooding and delays as they tried to head home on Tuesday.

Footage recorded at Liverpool Street station shows water pouring through the ceiling at the city centre station, as trains set off on their journeys into Essex and East Anglia.

Marketing manager Sanoobar Patel, 32, told the PA news agency: “The rail platforms are flooded and trains are being cancelled. The Hammersmith and City train platforms are flooded underground too. I took the central line home from there so avoided the chaos. The station was getting packed as I got there.

“There were no staff around to guide people off the platforms either. It was so slippery and dangerous.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: “We apologise to passengers whose journeys have been affected by flooding at Liverpool Street station.

“This caused several track circuit failures and we had to close several platforms around 4.30pm while we worked to fix the issue.

“These platforms reopened shortly after 5pm, though there will be residual delays while we restore services.”

Boscombe Down in Wiltshire has seen the heaviest rainfall, with 51.2mm falling at the military base near Amesbury in the 12 hours to 1pm.

Heavy rain in Harrogate, Yorkshire, caused problems on the third morning of the cycling Road World Championships, as torrents of water running down the roads caused riders to slip and get a drenching.

A man cycles past a stranded car on a flooded road in Birmingham
A man cycles past a stranded car on a flooded road in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA)

In Birmingham, a car was pictured stranded surrounded by overflowing rain water.

However, Mr Keates described Tuesday as “a very mixed bag for the weather” after Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland remained mostly dry.

Persistent and occasionally heavy rainfall will continue into the evening in some places.

Mr Keates said: “We’re looking at a pretty wet rush hour for Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Glasgow as well.”

A second band of heavy rain will also make an appearance around the south-west of England.

Despite the “blustery, wet night” ahead, Mr Keates added: “The saving grace is that it’s not going to be a particularly cold night, not getting below 11C or 12C.”

One weather warning for rain remains in place until 10pm across large swathes of England, alongside 10 flood warnings, and 39 less urgent flood alerts, but as the changeable conditions continue, Mr Keates said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if more (warnings) are issued before the week has finished.”

Autumn weather Sept 24th 2019
People walk across the Millennium Bridge on a rainy day in London (Ian West/PA)

Prospects will improve on Wednesday as the rain clears, but Mr Keates said “there will still be some remnants (of today’s conditions) in the North”.

“Temperatures will be around 18C to 21C, about where we should be for the time of year.”

Motoring experts have warned commuters to be careful during the turbulent weather.

George Flinton, of the AA, said: “Heavy rain coupled with commuting home in busy traffic can make for some very hazardous driving conditions.

“Road conditions can quickly deteriorate during very heavy rainfall, so drivers will need to take extra care and expect delays, even or motorways.

“Allow plenty of extra time for your journey and leave twice as much space between you and the car in front to account for greater stopping distances.”

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