Britain is bracing itself for another deluge of rain after torrential downpours battered large parts of the country and sparked flooding and travel chaos.
The intense rainfall saw rivers burst their banks, while roads were cut off in villages where communities will now have to recover from the devastating damage caused to homes and businesses.
Millions of Britons are now facing a weekend washout as the Met Office has issued a yellow alert for the south east of England as the heavy showers from yesterday continue on into this afternoon.
Parts of the UK could face a small reprieve, however, as the warning was initially in place until Sunday evening for all of England and Wales but was updated to be in force until noon, covering the south east.
But after this week saw one month’s rain fall within less than 24 hours, more than 50 flood warnings remain in place for England, meaning flooding is expected, with 20 flood alerts in force for Wales, meaning flooding is possible.
Between 3pm Saturday and 8am Sunday there was 72mm of rainfall in White Barrow, Devon, 52mm in Priddy, Somerset, and 48mm in Croeserw, West Glamorgan.
Villages such as Croscombe, Somerset, have seen the local rivers burst their banks this morning, flooding homes and businesses and causing widespread disruption.
Flood water is also expected to cause severe delays to national bus and train services, whilst motorists are expected to face longer journey times because of road closures.
Houses and businesses in Croscombe, Somerset, have been affected by flood water this morning
A cyclist rides through floodwater on a country in Eton in Windsor, Berkshire, after heavy overnight rain
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A flooded road between Whittlesey and Thorney, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire this morning
Motorists make a splash as they drive through a large puddle following heavy rain in Greenwich, South East London
Some parts of the country are believed to have been hit by as much as 40mm of rain this weekend
According to the Met Office, heavy showers will continue on from yesterday and are expected to last until midday today in the south-east of England
There are fears that flooding could cause widespread disruption, as torrential showers this week saw around one month’s rain within less than 24 hours (Pictured: Flooding in Walton, Warwickshire, on Tuesday)
This band of heavy rain is expected to clear to the east by the afternoon, having originally been forecast to stay until 6pm this evening.
Elsewhere the country should see some bright spells of weather, with temperatures reaching a unseasonably mild 15C in some areas due to winds coming down from the south.
A scattering of showers is also expected to hit western areas of Britain later this evening.
Across England, there are 41 flood warnings in place and 197 flood alerts – the former meaning flooding is ‘likely’, the latter ‘possible’ – as already-waterlogged land is at greater risk of becoming swamped with floodwaters.
Forecaster Craig Snell said: ‘The ground is already a little bit more saturated across England and Wales compared to Scotland and Northern Ireland, so they’ll be a little more sensitive to the rainfall.
‘Some parts could see disruption, transport may be a little bit delayed and if you’re driving on the roads your journey may take a little bit longer due to spray and road closures.’
Motorists driving through floodwater on a country road in Eton, Windsor
The heavy band of rain are expected to clear to the east by the afternoon, having originally been forecast to stay until 6pm this evening
Across England, there are 41 flood warnings in place and 197 flood alerts – the former meaning flooding is ‘likely’, the latter ‘possible’
The current spell of wet weather is in sharp contrast to the infamous drought last year, when Britain underwent its driest February in 30 years – with just 15.3mm of rain falling on average.
The Met Office added: ‘Bus and train services are probably going to be affected with journey times taking longer. Spray and flooding on roads will probably make journey times longer
‘Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely, [with] some interruption to power supplies and other services.’