Torrential downpours started to hit the north of England and parts of Scotland tonight – before rain is set to move south and arrive in London from Friday.
The Met Office earlier said an ‘unbelievable’ 10inches of rain was expected to fall within the next 36 hours and has issued an amber warning – meaning that downpours could cause ‘flooding and disruption’ – for Cumbria.
Western and southern parts of the county are set to be the worst affected. The general amber warning is set to remain in place until just before midnight on Thursday.
There are also five flood warnings and a further three amber alerts – meaning flooding is possible – in place in Scotland. Weather experts warn fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely and could ’cause a danger to life’.
Lead BBC Weather presenter Simon King also took to Twitter to warn that one month’s worth of rain could fall in the next two days – adding that flooding is a ‘big concern’.
And while Londoners and those in the south of England will avoid Met Office weather warnings in the coming days, rain is still on the way from Friday, with the weekend set to be a wash-out in the capital.
The flood warnings issued for Cumbria and Scotland today and tomorrow mean that residents should move vehicles to higher ground and move themselves, their pets and important belongings upstairs in their homes. There could also be disruption to travel.
The Met Office warned: ‘Persistent and heavy rain is likely to bring flooding and transport disruption. [There will be] spray and flooding probably leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
‘Delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are likely.’
Potentially lethal flooding is set to hit parts of the UK today with an ‘unbelievable’ 10inches of rain expected to fall ‘within the next 36 hours’, weather experts warn
Weather experts warn fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely and could ’cause a danger to life’. As much as 10inches (250mm) of rain is expected to fall within the next two days, according to Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna
The warnings issued in Cumbria cover the town of Keswick and the village of Grasmere, near the River Rothay.
Amber alerts also cover parts of Cumbria, including areas near the Cocker, Marron and Derwent rivers, where water levels have risen sharply.
In the town of Cockermouth, which suffered horrendous flooding in 2009, sandbags have been delivered to the library.
However, the Cockermouth Emergency Response Group earlier said river levels are lower than had been initially forecast.
The warning for southern Scotland is in place from 9pm today until 9am tomorrow. Both warnings are followed by amber warnings on Thursday, which are in place until Friday morning.
The yellow warnings, which cover the city of Carlisle and the town of Dumfries, warn of a ‘small chance of flooding’, disruption to travel and a possible ‘danger to life’.
Yellow warnings are also in place for most of Wales and from Burnley and Lancaster up to Carlisle on Friday.
According to the Met Office’s most recent forecast for today: ‘(There will be) Rain, heavy and persistent on hills, affecting southern Scotland, northern England and perhaps north Wales is likely to lead to some flooding in places.
The amber warning for Cumbria is in place from 3pm today until midnight. The warning for southern Scotland is in place from 9pm today until 9am tomorrow
‘Mostly dry to the north and in the south and east. Staying windy and very mild. (Tonight there will be) Further rain, heavy on hills, affecting southern Scotland, northern England and Wales. Mostly dry to the north and south of here. Windy and mild or very mild.’
For Thursday, the forecast says: ‘(There will be a) Band of rain, heavy on hills, sinking slowly southeast to lie southwest England, Wales to northeast England by evening. Further localised flooding in the west possible. Windy and very mild.’
It comes a week after parts of Britain were hit by major flooding as heavy rain and strong winds from a storm moving in from France caused chaos and a mini ‘tornado’ smashed through a housing estate.
The low-pressure system named Storm Aurore barrelled along the English Channel across October 20 and 21, bringing more than two inches (50mm) of rain and 77mph winds in the worst-affected areas of the south coast and Channel Islands, while the Scottish Highlands suffered thick snow after temperatures plummeted.
The Met Office said the storm dealt a ‘glancing blow’ to southern England, and emergency services were inundated with Essex Fire Service getting more than 120 calls up until 2.30am regarding flood-related incidents.
Meanwhile in Manchester, footballer Paul Pogba‘s £300,000 Rolls Royce was nearly smashed by a fallen tree as fierce winds hit.
Rain is se to hit the capital from Friday and will continue over the weekend: Pictured: Scenes of flooding in Bermondsey, in south-east London, last week after heavy rain the night before
Flooded fields near Lingfield in Surrey, after southern England was hit overnight by heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Aurore moving in from France
Paul Pogba’s wife posted an image of his £300k Rolls Royce nearly being hit by a fallen tree at their £2.9m Cheshire mansion
Police and Highways England traffic offices were called to the M26 in Kent last week after flooding hit the area
The Manchester United midfielder’s wife, Maria Zulay Salaues, posted an image of the couple’s car lying in the driveway of their £2.9million Cheshire mansion – with a fallen tree lying inches away from the vehicle.
The Bolivian model, 27, captioned the Instagram story post: ‘This happened last night’ as the image showed Pogba’s Wraith Black Badge motor was just a few yards away from being ruined by the storm.
In the North East, monster waves battered the coast, as walkers were forced to duck to avoid getting wet.
The promenade at Seaburn, in Sunderland, was drenched as huge crests of water broke onto the concrete. Waves up to 50ft high rose and fell dwarfing those taking a stroll along the sea front.
Flooding caused delays across the rail network between Exeter, Salisbury and Tiverton in the South West, and at Belmont in South London. Heavy rain also caused a landslip between Crowborough and Uckfield in East Sussex, and another between Dartford and Gravesend in Kent, causing further misery on the trains.
Much of the South was under by an ‘amber’ warning for rain during the storm, although the most severe impact of was in northern France – where 105mph was recorded at Fécamp in Normandy.