UK weather forecast: ‘Danger to life’ as widespread rain across England and Wales brings threat of floods

Heavy rain, gusty winds, hail, thunder, and lightning are on the cards for much of England and Wales this week, bringing with it the threat of flooding that could pose a “danger to life”.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for central and southern parts of the United Kingdom on Tuesday, with the worst of the weather expected to hit as commuters head to and from work.

The latest forecast showed the remnants of Hurricane Humberto would hit the UK bringing with it widespread rain that could cause significant flooding.

“Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life and some communities may be cut off by flooded roads,” the warning read.

While the tropical cyclone is no longer the blustering Category Three storm that it was when it hit the British Atlantic territory of Bermuda, its tail end is still set to lash the UK with significant winds and rain.

The weather forecasting service warned the resulting floods could also damage homes and businesses, cause power cuts, make driving difficult and disrupt train and bus services in certain areas.

Met Office spokesman Graham Madge said the south western parts of Britain had been subjected to significant rainfall over the last few hours.

"The system is quite intense, leading to some considerable short periods of rainfall, that could lead to some disruption, like flash flooding," he said. "There are also embedded thunderstorms within those periods of heavy rain, so it is generally quite a very unsettled day today."

Mr Madge said the forecast was also showing the potential for strong winds and coastal gales in the south.

The stormy weather comes off the back of the cluster of warm sunny days the UK saw last week.

Chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: “Many people will notice a big change in the weather this week, as last week’s warm and sunny weather is replaced by spells of heavy rain and strong winds mixed with some drier, brighter spells.

“Tuesday will be wet across much of the UK, particularly in England and Wales, where heavy rain could see 30-50mm falling in a short time and up to 70mm in some isolated spots. The heavy rain will be accompanied by hail, thunderstorms and gusty winds, leading to flooding and difficult driving conditions.”

Mr Armstrong said the weather would clear later in the evening though there would still be patches of significant rain over the coming days.

“This system will clear eastwards later on Tuesday, however low-pressure will stay in charge for the rest of the week, with largely bright and breezy weather and some showers or longer spells of rain at times,” he said.

Mr Armstrong said the weather was unlikely to clear in time for the weekend, with more rain bringing further risk of flooding.