UK weather: Britain wakes up to a glorious sunrise before heavy showers and 40mph gales

Britain wakes up to a glorious sunrise before heavy showers and 40mph gales move in to lash Britain for the rest of the week with 38 flood alerts in place today following three weeks’ worth of rain in just 12 hours

  • Heavy showers will add to yesterday’s rain which submerged roads and threatened to cut villages off
  • Met Office warns fast-flowing and deep floodwater in East Anglia poses ‘danger to life’ in amber warning
  • Police in Norfolk warn drivers to avoid travel unless essential, while firemen are ‘inundated’ with call-outs 
  • Wettest place yesterday was a village in Suffolk which had three quarters of average rainfall for October

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After a severe soaking for many of us over the weekend, you might be hoping for a bit of respite from the rain.

But there’s no let up just yet, forecasters say, with heavy showers set to add to yesterday’s rain which submerged roads and threatened to cut villages off.

The Met Office warned that fast-flowing and deep floodwater in East Anglia posed a ‘danger to life’ after issuing an amber weather warning for the region yesterday. 

Recent heavy rainfall raises the water levels and closes the ford at Charvil, near Reading in Berkshire today

High water levels in the Berkshire village of Charvil today as Britain continues to face problems with flooding

High water levels in the Berkshire village of Charvil today as Britain continues to face problems with flooding

Cows in the mist on the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge this morning at the start of a wet and windy week

Cows in the mist on the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge this morning at the start of a wet and windy week

The sky over London is red and orange at sunrise this morning at the start of a week bringing further wet and windy weather

The sky over London is red and orange at sunrise this morning at the start of a week bringing further wet and windy weather

Rowers out on the River Cam in Cambridge at sunrise this morning as the country prepares for further rain today

Rowers out on the River Cam in Cambridge at sunrise this morning as the country prepares for further rain today

A red sky during sunrise at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear on the North East coast this morning

A red sky during sunrise at St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear on the North East coast this morning

A beautiful sunrise over Canonbury train station in North London on the London Overground network this morning

A beautiful sunrise over Canonbury train station in North London on the London Overground network this morning

Police in Norfolk warned drivers to avoid travel unless essential, while firemen said they were ‘inundated’ with call-outs – at one stage dealing with 105 weather-related incidents.

The wettest place yesterday was Stradbroke, Suffolk, where 47.2mm (1.85in) of rain fell in 12 hours – almost three quarters of the average rainfall for October for East Anglia (2.55in).

The Environment Agency had six flood warnings in place this morning – for imminent flooding – and 32 flood alerts, mostly in northern England and East Anglia.

The rain had already brought downpours to the rest of the country through Saturday night into Sunday.  

This morning's forecast

This afternoon's forecast

Rain will feature for much of the country this morning (left) and this afternoon (right) with temperatures of up to 16C today

Tomorrow's forecast

Wednesday's weather

Tomorrow’s forecast is for more rain in many areas (left) while similar conditions are also expected on Wednesday (right)

The Environment Agency had six flood warnings (in red) in place for England this morning and 32 flood alerts (in orange)

The Environment Agency had six flood warnings (in red) in place for England this morning and 32 flood alerts (in orange)

A car was pictured going through floodwater on a street in Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear yesterday following heavy rain

A car was pictured going through floodwater on a street in Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear yesterday following heavy rain

A contractor pumps water out of the road after flooding and excess surface water on Tower Bridge in London yesterday

A contractor pumps water out of the road after flooding and excess surface water on Tower Bridge in London yesterday 

Water pumps cleared flooding on the approach to Tower Bridge in London and people shared photos on social media of traffic ploughing through pools of water on roads.

The Met Office posted this comical tweet about the forecast

The Met Office posted this comical tweet about the forecast

Looking ahead, a wet and windy week is predicted as another frontal system looks set to come across the country – bringing up to half an inch of rain today. 

The Met Office’s Luke Miall said: ‘The worst of the rain is likely to be from a weather front crossing the country today, the heaviest of which is due in the West.’ 

He added that a mixture of sunshine and heavy, squally showers are likely until Thursday.

‘We could see gales around the coasts, particularly in north-west England, where gusts of 40mph are possible in Cumbria and Lancashire,’ he added. 

Further south, speeds could hit 35mph along the Channel coast, and 25mph inland.

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