Motorists have been warned of the dangers of driving through flood water (Peter Byrne/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)Londoners celebrated as it finally rained in the capital after days of hot dry weather.
There were sporadic showers on Monday night with the Met Office predicting “further showers” on Tuesday and “heavy” rain for Wednesday with “temperatures nearer normal” as the week goes on.
I’ve never been so happy to see rain in London. Excuse me whilst I go and lay down in it and smile. pic.twitter.com/zDruJR3X3m
— Kyri Zindilis (@KyriZindilis) August 15, 2022
It comes after another weekend of wildfires across London, including in Enfield, Rammey Marsh and Turkey Street, while on Friday around 50 firefighters were called to a blaze which scorched two hectares of grass in Leyton Flats park near Whipps Cross Road.
Such has been the extent of the dry conditions that the LFB has responded to eight times as many grass and open land fires in the first week of August compared with the same week last year.
Rain at last in central London! #rain pic.twitter.com/g4Ua1KSoVu
— Rob 🇬🇧 🪴 🇺🇦 (@robjdphotos) August 15, 2022
Heavier rain in the southwest of England led to flooding in Cornwall and Devon and Mayor Sadiq Khan warned that sudden downpours on a parched capital could lead to flash floods.
Eight areas in the UK have been placed in drought conditions: Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and south London, Hertfordshire and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and the east Midlands.
Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, explained why there is the potential for floods in drought-hit areas.
She said: “The ground is really dry and when it is so dry it acts a little bit like concrete and that water can’t get in so it drains straight off.
“There is the damage to homes and businesses these floods can cause, and inconvenience with transport disruptions, but if it is very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous.”
On how it could affect cities and towns, she said: “If you get a heavy rain in a city, the drainage system can cope up to a point, but if there is really heavy rain it can overwhelm the system – the rain cannot run away quick enough.”
