Thunderstorms and windy, wet weather are expected to grip the UK all weekend, bringing hazardous driving conditions and the potential for floods.
Yellow weather warnings are in place across the whole of the country until Sunday, at which point England and Wales should see some relief, the Met Office forecasted.
“There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life,” across the UK on Friday, its website said.
Music festivals and other events have been cancelled and drivers warned to limit their travel where possible, as “unseasonable” conditions could bring gusts of up to 50mph and up to 40mm of rain within a few hours.
The Met Office warned of delays to road, rail and ferry transport, with the possibility for road closures and fallen trees. Flooding was causing traffic delays on the A1 near Darlington and Northumberland on Friday.
Neil Armstrong, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Summer storms – compared with those in autumn and winter – always have the potential to create additional impacts because more people are likely to be outdoors, especially by the coast.
“Additionally with trees in full leaf they are more vulnerable to being brought down by strong winds.”
Norfolk’s Houghton music festival and Boardmasters in Cornwall were forced to cancel over fears for the safety of attendees, hours before the gates were due to open.
“We are utterly devastated. All the hard work, love and creativity that has gone into planning and producing this year’s event made this an almost impossible decision to make,” Houghton’s organisers said in a statement.
The flooding that has plagued Scotland this week and caused severe rail problems across the country looks set to continue until Sunday.
Commuters between Edinburgh and Glasgow were left stuck on trains for several hours on Thursday as firefighters were forced to clear two feet of water from a tunnel, but the line has now been successfully reopened.
An electrical fault caused “major disruptions” for rail passengers in the Coventry area, with delays of up to 60 minutes expected until 10am, National Rail said on Twitter.
Police reassured residents living near the damaged Toddbrook Reservoir in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire that they would be the “first to know” if rainfall brought the water level to concerning levels.
The RNLI has warned people in coastal areas to beware of large waves and storms.
Forecasters predict the strong winds will hit westerly regions first, moving eastwards before passing into the North Sea on Sunday evening, leaving spots of showers across the country.
Additional reporting by PA
