Britain faces more torrential downpours this week, the Met Office has warned, after thunderstorms brought devastating flash floods to some areas.
A two-day yellow warning for heavy rain was issued for Wales and north west England, with potential for large hailstorms.
It came after parts of Devon and Somerset saw more than a month’s day of rain on Sunday, triggering flooding that forced the closure of Exeter Airport and Butlins in Minehead.
Eleven flood warnings were still in place across the UK on Monday, affecting areas including the Cumbrian coastline, the River Cole in Swindon and the River Gwash in Ryhall and Newstead, Lincolnshire.
A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for Tuesday and Wednesday
(Met Office)
On Tuesday, the unsettled weather is set to continue with a two-day yellow warning issued by the Met Office for heavy rain in Wales and north west England, including Manchester, on Tuesday from 6am. The office said the flooding of homes and businesses was likely, and that bus and train services could be impacted.
On Monday’s weather outlook across the UK, spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Thundery showers in the east clearing as a band of rain, already across the west quickly pushes east during the morning. Turning fresher with showers, heavy at times, following during the afternoon. Increasingly windy.”
Looking ahead to Tuesday, when the weather warnings will be in place, the office said: “Cloud and rain quickly spreading in from the west through the morning, though after a spell of rain drier with some bright spells for southern parts of the UK. Windy.”
And for the rest of the week, the office has forecast ‘unsettled and rather autumnal with changeable conditions’ with rain and wind.
Inside a flooded Exeter Airport as staff and passengers wade through water in terminal
(Justin Sharp/WEATHER TRAKER /TMX)
Exeter Airport reopened on Monday morning and urged travellers to check for status updates with their airlines.
Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
An airport spokesperson said: “We are pleased to confirm that the airport is open today thanks to the hard work and determination of airport staff who worked through the night to clean up after yesterday’s flash floods. We look forward to welcoming passengers as usual.”
Storm waves batter the breakwater and lighthouse at Newhaven, East Sussex, on Monday
(Getty Images)
The Met Office said showers were “highly localised”, with the airport seeing 57.4mm of rainfall, while Swindon in Wiltshire received 90.7mm overnight, with the average rainfall for the entire month of September in the county about 61mm. These showers have since shifted to areas in the East Midlands, with Nottingham and parts of Lincolnshire seeing 40-45mm of rainfall on Monday.
Conditions are expected to remain “blustery at times” this week, the Met Office warned, urging people to keep an eye on the forecast.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said more storms are possible as the remnants of Hurricane Lee, which hit New England in the US and eastern Canada, is set to move across the UK between Tuesday and Thursday.
It will no longer be a hurricane by the time it reaches UK shores.
Mr Vautrey said: “That will be getting picked up by the jet stream. Showers in places could be heavy with a risk of further thunderstorms. It could be quite an unsettled, autumnal week to come.”