Power outages are possible and some communities may be cut off if roads are disrupted by the weather. The Met Office has issued an orange storm warning for 11am on Wednesday, which will last until 10pm tonight. It covers much of London as well as West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Essex. The Met Office warned the public:
Flooding to homes and businesses is possible and could happen quickly, with some buildings damaged by flooding, lightning, hail or high winds Fast-flowing or deep-flooding water is likely to be life-threatening Where there is flooding or lightning, delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are possible Spray and flash flooding may lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures Some communities are likely to be cut off if roads are flooded Power outages are likely and other services in some homes and businesses may be lost
It comes as roads in parts of south-west England flooded on Tuesday in the second day of heavy rain and storms. One of the reasons for concern is that heavy rain follows weeks of drought – when the ground is too dry, it can’t absorb the rain fast enough, so water runs over the land and floods it. The Met Office said Monday marked the eighth straight day with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 F).
