Andrewsfield in Essex reported 36.4mm (1.43in) of rain in the early hours of Thursday as heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across east and south-east England. A yellow storm warning is in place for London and the south east, east England and the east midlands until 3pm. In east London, Dagenham Heathway station was closed on Thursday morning due to flooding caused by heavy rain, while some exits were closed at Charing Cross station in central London. The Met Office has warned of difficult driving conditions and some road closures due to spray and standing water. Delays to trains and possible loss of power and other services are also possible. The Environment Agency has issued six warnings for areas where flooding is likely. The warnings come after a spell of dry weather has led to drought declarations in parts of England, with parched grass and distressed crops, streams drying up and low levels in rivers, reservoirs and aquifers. Pipeline bans were imposed on millions as heatwaves increased demand for water. By Wednesday, the UK as a whole had only had 46% of its average total rainfall for August. The holiday is expected to be largely dry with warm sunny spells, although possibly wetter in the northwest. Temperatures could rise to 30C (86F) or the mid-20Cs depending on how high pressure builds, the Met Office said. Spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We have certainly changed from a hot and dry regime to something with rain in the forecast.” Although the rain will mean this month will “reach a little bit” with rainfall totals, he said: “It’s definitely going to be a dry August for the whole of the UK.” And he said some areas had gone without significant rainfall from mid-June until last week. “We’ve had below-average rainfall for so long, it’s going to take a period of above-average rainfall to make up for it,” he warned. The Met Office is due to release its seasonal forecast of likely conditions over the coming months next week. The weather is likely to change: the intensely dry summer of 1976 was followed by rain that meant rainfall levels had reached average levels by late autumn. But scientists warn that the climate crisis is making extreme weather more likely, increasing heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall events that can lead to flash floods.
