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Now UK faces flash flooding and thunderstorms as heatwave comes to abrupt end

Next week is set to see thundery conditions and heavy downpours (Picture: AP)
Next week is set to see thundery conditions and heavy downpours (Picture: AP)

The UK is set for three days of heavy rain, with the Met Office issuing weather warnings after a prolonged heatwave.

With an extreme heat warning coming to an end at midnight tonight, new warnings for thunderstorms across the country are now in place.

There are fears that after such an intense dry spell, the downpours will lead to flash flooding and do little to ease drought conditions – despite the scorching weather being replaced by thunderstorms.

But it could reduce the threat of wildfires, which have put huge pressure on fire services around the country in recent weeks.

Temperatures hit 34.1°C in Charlwood, Surrey, earlier today, according to the Met Office, who brought in an amber warning for thunderstorms over part of Northern Ireland earlier this evening.

That expired at 10pm, but a Yellow warning will be in place for virtually the entire UK tomorrow.

By Tuesday and Wednesday, only more southern parts of the country will be included.

The forecaster has warned of thunder, lightning and power cuts as showers move in.

Dan Stroud, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the drastic change in weather is due to an alteration in air pressure.

He explained: ‘We’ve had a number of days now where we’ve had clear, strong, clear skies and strong sunshine which has heated up the ground.

‘We’ve had high pressure dominating, now we’re having low pressure dominate, so the air is becoming more unstable.

‘As we’ve had some very high ground temperatures, it doesn’t actually take too much for the air to become even more unstable and for thundery showers to develop quickly.’

A man sunbathes in a nearly empty Greenwich Park, London, as a drought has been declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years. Picture date: Sunday August 14, 2022. PA Photo. A four-day amber warning for extreme heat from the Met Office is in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday, with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
The rain is unlikely to ease the drought since the ground is so dry it will struggle to absorb water (Picture: PA)
Alamy Live News. N017EJ UK Weather: Pup Raphael shakes and cools off during early paddle in calm warm conditions off back beach in Teignmouth, Devon, UK. 14 August, 2022. Credit nidpor/ Alamy Live News Credit: nidpor/StockimoNews/Alamy Live News This is an Alamy Live News image and may not be part of your current Alamy deal . If you are unsure, please contact our sales team to check.
Raphael cools off during a paddle at a beach in Teignmouth, Devon, earlier (Picture: Alamy Live News.)
People attend UK Black Pride, Europe's largest pride celebration for LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern-descent, at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. Picture date: Sunday August 14, 2022. See PA story SOCIAL BlackPride. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Brits enjoyed Black Pride at a baking Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford earlier today (Picture: PA)

The change comes after an official drought was declared in eight areas of England on Friday by the National Drought Group (NDG).

Three water companies – Welsh Water, Southern Water, and South East Water – have also imposed hosepipe bans, while Yorkshire Water has announced a ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water is planning one in the coming weeks.

But Mr Stroud said that despite the likelihood of intense showers over the next few days, it probably won’t ease the drought.

‘It will help a little but to be honest really, it’s almost the wrong sort of rain,’ he said.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Maureen McLean/Shutterstock (13093165q) A Lama has a snooze on another scorching hot day Seasonal Weather, Heatwave and Drought, Dorney, Buckinghamshire, UK - 14 Aug 2022
A Lama has a snooze on another scorching hot day in Buckinghamshire (Picture: Shutterstock)
A woman walks with her dog on the footpath next to the dried up Huddersfield narrow canal near Slaithwaite in the Colne Valley, as a drought has been declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years. Picture date: Sunday August 14, 2022. PA Photo. Parts of the UK are bracing for another day of sizzling temperatures ahead of three days of yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms. An amber weather warning for extreme heat is in place until 11.59pm on Sunday for large parts of the south, east, west, midlands and north of England as temperatures are predicted to rise to 32C. See PA story WEATHER Heat. Photo credit should read: Ashley Broadley/PA Wire
A woman walks with her dog next to the dried up Huddersfield narrow canal (Picture: PA)
Dry grass in Eastville Park, Bristol. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales. Picture date: Saturday August 13, 2022. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Dry grass like this seen in Eastville Park, Bristol, has led to wildfires breaking out (Picture: PA)

‘What we’re likely to see is some heavy, intense downpours.

‘With the ground baked so dry, it’s very difficult for the ground to actually absorb the water very quickly… so what tends to happen in these circumstances is the water runs off and we can potentially get some surface run-off issues, so some flash floods.’

The hot weather led to several wildfires erupting across England, with blazes breaking out in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Essex and Devon.

It comes as a search is also under way for a man in the River Thames in west London after he was reported getting into difficulty in the water.

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The Metropolitan Police said a ‘multi-agency response’ was in operation after they received reports of the man in the water at Hampton Court at 4.12pm.

Meanwhile, severe weather has already hit Scotland.

Shoppers were evacuated from a Tesco supermarket in Inverness when water poured in through the ceiling.

Videos on social media showed tiles on the ceiling falling to the floor and water pouring in, covering most of the store’s floor on Sunday.

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