UK weather forecast: Storm lights up London skies as parts of country hit by flash floods

London saw its skies illuminated with dazzling lightning this afternoon as heavy downpours caused flash flooding across the UK.

Rumbles of thunder and a sudden deluge drenched the city, as forecasters warned of more wet weather on the horizon.

Flood warnings are in place across swathes of the country with some regions expected to see as much as two weeks of rain in less than an hour.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings until 8pm in most of England and Wales, with a risk of power cuts, road closures and flooding in affected areas.

Heathrow Airport has seen delays and cancellations of up to two hours as a result of the extreme conditions.

Travel bloggers La Vida Journey captured the storm clouds rolling across the London skyline
@lavidajourney

Forecaster Sophie Yeomans told the Standard: “It’s hard to know when the next downpour will strike, but we’re expecting more heavy showers coming through from around Oxfordshire in the next few hours.

“So far, the area hardest hit was Pennerley in Shropshire, which saw 25.6mm in the space of one hour.

"The town’s monthly average for October is 96.4mm, so you can see they’ve already seen a decent chunk of that on the first of the month.”

Flooding in Peterston-Super-Ely last week 
@JohnPDaviesUK/PA Wire

Ms Yeomans said the heavy rain was set to clear up across the UK overnight, before the next weather front hits on Thursday.

It comes after a major incident was declared on the Isle of Man, as floods left people trapped in their homes.

The Environment Agency has also issued dozens of flood warnings and alerts across England amid regional disruption.

UK Wet Weather: September/October 2019 - In pictures

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Forecasters warn that the weather system which produced the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the far east Atlantic is heading towards the UK.

Hurricane Lorenzo is expected to have lost much of its power by the time it hits the country, but it will bring more wind and rain for parts of the country.

The Met Office said there has been some uncertainty of over its path, but it now looks like it will follow a north-easterly track towards the UK and Ireland.

When it arrives in these latitudes some time on Thursday, it will have lost its hurricane strength, but will still mean another wet and windy battering for the west of the country.

Torrential thunderstorms and the village's proximity to the River Soar has seen flooding in Cossington, Leicester
PA

Chief meteorologist at Met Office Dan Suri said: "There has been considerable uncertainty over the potential track of Lorenzo after it passes The Azores.

"However, we are now increasingly confident the remnants of Lorenzo will move towards the UK, bringing a spell of wet and very windy weather to western parts on Thursday and Friday."

Mr Suri said the strongest winds are expected in western Ireland, with a risk of coastal gales developing in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Thursday and Wales and south-west England on Friday.

Big waves hit the lighthouse at Seaham in Durham
PA

He said "Ex-Lorenzo" will also bring spells of heavy rain to north-western parts of the UK through Thursday and Friday, particularly in Northern Ireland, western Scotland, central England and Wales.

"Our advice is to pay close attention to the weather forecast over the next couple of days and to keep an eye out for any weather warnings that may be issued in your area," the forecaster added.

Deputy chief meteorologist Tony Wardle said: "The remnants of ex-Hurricane Lorenzo will gradually pull away from the UK later on Friday, though it'll remain unsettled with further spells of wet and windy weather as we head into the weekend."

The arrival of Ex-Lorenzo will mean more rainfall after days of deluge, although the Met Office said Wednesday will be an oasis of good weather between the storm.

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