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A washout weekend is expected in the UK as hundreds of flood alerts remain in place across the country.
After torrential downpours on Thursday, blustery showers are expected to pour later on Friday and through Saturday and Sunday after sweeping across the west, say Met Office meteorologists.
There are 58 flood warnings and 258 flood alerts in place across England and Wales.
Natural Resources Wales has issued one flood warning for the River Ritec in Tenby, as well as 13 alerts.
There are 58 flood warnings and 258 flood alerts in place across England and Wales
(Met Office)
Saturday will see a cold and frosty start for many with sporadic showers, according to the Met Office.
Northern Scotland will wake up to lows of -6°C with southern England dropping to 1 and 2°C on Saturday.
Showers are set to get heavier by Sunday as rain will hit the northwest and the south turns wet and windy.
Flood warnings are in place across England, with a high concentration in Dorset and surrounding Tewkesbury.
Here are the flood warnings in place across England
(Environment Agency)
It comes after several schools in Herefordshire and Worcestershire were forced to close on Thursday because of rising flood levels and “treacherous road conditions”, councils said.
Many roads across the West Midlands in particular were submerged and rail operators struggled to resolve issues on the tracks, with Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway services operating a replacement bus service between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.
In Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury Borough Council distributed sandbags to householders. Several roads in the county were closed due to flooding.
Here are the flood alerts in place across England
(Environment Agency)
The Met Office predicted the most frequent showers will be in the west and near the English Channel coasts, with thunder and hail expected at times.
An estimated 30 to 40mm of rainfall – about a week’s worth – came down in the East Midlands, east of England, London and southeast England, the southwest and West Midlands.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “This is falling on saturated ground, which elevates the chances of flooding and disruption.”
The forecaster wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Sunny spells and scattered showers this afternoon. Showers heavy at times with some hail, thunder and snow possible across hills. Around average temperatures but feeling chilly in brisk winds.”
