Dozens of flood warning are in place across central and eastern England and the border with Wales, after torrential rain at the weekend caused river levels to rise.
And more than 100 alerts – meaning inundation is possible, rather than likely – are also scattered across the Midlands and the south.
The warnings remain in force after floodwaters swept away rail lines in the west Midlands over the weekend.
Part of the Marches line between Abergavenny and Hereford was washed away on Saturday by “extreme weather”, Network Rail said, meaning it would be closed “for some time”.
As of 9.30am on Monday, 80 flood warnings were in force. The rivers Avon, Churnet, Derwent, Don, Glen, Ouse, Severn, Soar, Teme, Trent, Vyrnwy, Weaver, Witham and Wye all registered high water levels as a result of recent rain, the Environment Agency said.
It came as major flooding hit Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and parts of Wales thanks to the recent heavy rains. In York, the Ouse burst its banks and partly flooded the city centre.
Motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles at the weekend, leading emergency services to recommend that people avoid travelling.
However, much of the UK experienced a respite from the rain on Monday, with clear skies leading to sub-zero temperatures early in the morning.
The Met Office predicted “another cold night with a touch of frost for many” overnight into Tuesday, with “most areas fine and bright [and] mostly dry” on the second day of the week. However, forecasters said to “expect scattered showers over northern and eastern Scotland and eastern England and patchy rain over Cornwall”.
But the sunny break is not due to last, with experts saying that “areas of extensive cloud, rain and drizzle [will] push northeast, replacing the cold and clear conditions seen on previous days”.
“Temperatures will gradually recover to near-average,” they added.
