UK weather: Parts of London flooded but hot end to August forecast

7 August 2021, 13:59 | Updated: 7 August 2021, 16:44

Torrential rain has seen some flooding in parts of the UK – though a warmer end to August could be on the way with temperatures in the high 20s.

Parts of London were flooded on Saturday as social media users posted clips of roads full of water in Battersea and Walthamstow. And two London Underground stations, Stepney Green and Holborn, closed due to the flooding as well as a platform at Liverpool Street Station.

The Met Office had warned the South East of England could see heavy downpours throughout the day while thunder, flood and even hail warnings were put in place for central and southern Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.

However, the Met Office believes it is likely the end of August will see drier conditions with conditions potentially in the high 20s.

Read more: Weather: 14 hours of storms to batter UK ahead of weekend, Met Office warns

Torrential rain in London causes flooding

Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell told the PA news agency: "It's going to stay quite changeable at least for the next week but as we head towards the end of August, there's a likelihood we'll see hotter spell of weather and drier more settled weather across the whole of the UK."

The Met Office's long range forecast said: "Temperatures are likely to be above average, with the potential for hotter weather later in the month."

Ms Mitchell added that, despite recent weather, the summer has been "warmer and drier than average".

She said: "It's not been wetter on average but we've seen a lot of reports on the news about the flooding. That's why it may feel like a bad summer, with not much warmth or sunshine."

The only exception was the South East, which has had 111% of its average rainfall in the summer. Worst affected were the City of London, with 143%, the Isle of Wight with 174% and Surrey with 126%.

The rain and storms were caused by the heat in July, Ms Mitchell said.

Scotland has seen just 38% of its average rainfall.