What to do if it floods? More unsettled July weather this week with heavy, thundery downpours and an Atlantic low from the SW tonight. This brings rain but also gales through the English Channel.
Further July downpours over the next few days with an Atlantic low bringing heavy rain from the southwest tonight. This low pressure sticks around through midweek but there should be a brief respite before more heavy showers get going for next weekend. Nothing looks particularly warm although the summer sunshine is still strong, where it appears. In these heavy and thundery downpours, there will be the risk of flooding.
City flooding - what to do?
Edinburgh saw flash flooding on Saturday as the drains were overwhelmed in torrential downpours and the shopping streets and market in Stockbridge became waterlogged. Princes Street Gardens, city basement flats and the main bypass were affected by the thunderstorms.
Continuing to power through the flooded road in your car is not ideal for anyone. It creates a bow wave which can send too much water at other people’s cars. Also, enough water to make the difference over shop’s doorsteps and window ledges. Retail has had a hard enough time recently. You can’t see the road ahead; it could dip, and the water becomes much deeper. One car did overturn as the pressure of floodwaters is intense if you try to drive too fast. First or second gear, at a slow and steady speed and leave a gap ahead. If the water floods your engine, you’ll be stuck, probably shown on social media and your car could be wrecked. Pedestrians also should take great care. There is no way to know what is under the dark, dirty water. Obstacles, like branches or rubbish and manhole covers, can be lifted in the surge of draining water.
Today, the heaviest downpours are still over eastern Scotland with cloudy damp weather over much of northern Britain, eastern England and north Wales. Also, Northern Ireland. Further southwest there is fine, sunny weather this morning with an improvement for London and more of southern Britain as the eastern rain swings out over the North Sea. There will be showers about today, mostly in the north. Hefty downpours look likely for central and northern Scotland inland this afternoon, with the risk of thunder. There will be a scattering of sharp showers for Northern Ireland and just a few over Yorkshire and Northeast England.
With a light SW wind temperatures will be in the mid to high teens for western England and Wales but just into the low twenties for eastern England and London. Northern Ireland will see the high teens today and Scotland in a light easterly flow will be cool with the showers but some warmth for the sheltered west coast.
This evening the low pressure heads our way, throwing heavy frontal rain over SW England and the Channel Islands. This reaches more of southern England and southern Wales tonight. The southerly wind strengthens with gales for the Channel Islands. There is a wind warning here.
By Tuesday morning there will be heavy frontal rain over NE England with outbreaks of more shower rain over much of England and Wales. It will be a windy start for Kent and Essex with gales possible along the south coast. The low centre heads up towards the Humber and the winds pick up over more of England with a moderate westerly for Wales. Further heavy downpours for eastern England through Tuesday morning and the winds along the coast of Suffolk will need watching and east Norfolk too. The frontal rain begins to pivot into eastern Scotland by the afternoon with some sharp showers further west.
This showery picture with bright, sunny spells continues through mid-week with thunderstorms on Wednesday but looking a bit more settled by Thursday.
