UK weather: Flood alerts for England as Met Office gives update on how long rain will last

Parts of England remained under flood alerts on Tuesday morning even as the weather forecast largely improved after a wet and dreary spell for many.

There was a less windy outlook for the day compared to Monday, according to the Met Office, but some parts of the UK will still see rain showers and these could be heavy in places.

The showers are expected to ease over the coming two days, with sunny spells feeling “pleasant” and warm, the forecaster said.

But the Environment Agency extended flood alerts for several parts of England in an update on Tuesday morning. These include Newbury in the south, areas around the rivers Alt and Douglas near Liverpool, and for the Upper River Ouse near Leeds.

Over the weekend, there was a large band of rain across central UK, particularly Northern England and Wales, which led to frequent downpours and chilly temperatures in the south, prompting yellow warnings.

This led to a big contrast in temperatures witnessed in the north, which were unusually chilly, compared to the south. Brizlee Wood in the north recorded a temperature of approximately 13C on Sunday, while further southeast, Cavendish managed 25C, the Met Office said.

Sporting events, including the Ashes and the Open, as well as music festivals have been impacted by the wet conditions.

The band of rain started clearing from England and Wales on Monday morning, giving way to sunshine and drier conditions by the evening.

But on Monday a number of places were under flood alerts. Twelve local areas in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire received alerts, and there were also isolated alerts in Leicestershire and Middlesbrough.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said “minor surface water flooding impacts” was possible in those areas, but the overall flood risk for England and Wales is “very low” over the next five days.

On Tuesday, the Met Office said parts of the north and east regions should be prepared for heavy and thundery downpours.

The unsettled conditions will continue later this week and may go on till the first week of August with Wednesday and Thursday seeing outbreaks of rain and stronger winds returning from the west and feeling humid.

“At the moment it’s divided, we sit on the cold side of the jet to the north of it, we’ve got low pressure coming,” said Rachel Ayers, meteorologist at the Met Office.

“It can stay like this for quite a while as it has been for the last few weeks. It’s hard to say when it will all break down, it’s not looking like anything will soon,” she said.

“Looking at a longer range, it will be cool and changeable, into the second week of August it could be a little more settled.

“But it doesn’t mean we’re not going to see any settled interludes in the meantime, on Tuesday we’ve got a nudge of high pressure which means showers will be less heavy and more isolated, so it’ll bring a more settled day,” she said.

“The overall picture for the next couple of weeks is mostly damp and no prolonged spells of settled weather or above average temperatures.”

The long-range forecast showed temperatures are set to remain average to cool, especially in more persistent rain or showers. The wettest conditions will likely be seen in the north and west, albeit with some showers towards the southeast.