Thunderstorms are expected to hit parts of the UK this week with a risk of more flooding following a weekend of heavy downpours.
Commuters woke up to road closures and diverted trains after parts of Greater Manchester were hit with two weeks’ worth of rain in 24 hours.
There were 20 flood warnings in place across north-west England on Monday morning, affecting parts of south Manchester, Rochdale and the Yorkshire market towns of Todmorden and Hebden Bridge.
The Environment Agency also issued two flood warnings, advising urgent action, near Nuneaton in Warwickshire and the Leicestershire village of Witherley as the River Anker swelled.
Northern Rail said several of its services would be replaced by buses because of the flooding, with trains cancelled between Manchester and towns including Wigan and Stalybridge.
The A555 Manchester airport relief road, which opened in October, was closed for the second time in months after it became impassable due to the floods. Fire crews in Preston were called to rescue two people from the River Ribble at 4pm on Sunday.
Forecasters said while the heavy rain would clear on Monday, a second band of low pressure will hit the country on Tuesday. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across much of the south-west and Wales for Tuesday with the risk of floods, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds.
Mark Wilson, a Met Office meteorologist, said parts of the south-west and Wales would receive heavy downpours and could get 30-40mm of rain. The average rainfall for the region in July is 81mm, he added.
Wilson said: “An area of low pressure will bring the risk of quite heavy thundery showers into Tuesday. There’s definitely a risk of flooding. Thunderstorms are a concern – there could be as much as 30mm to 40mm of rain. That’s quite a lot of rain flowing in quite a short period of time.”
The Met Office also warned there could be delays and cancellations to trains and buses as well as difficult driving conditions and road closures due to the storms.
