The UK has been battered with inches of rainfall within hours, with more on the way, as the summer washout misery continues.
Parts of England and Wales were hit by the downpour yesterday, with some areas getting around 40mm of rain, leaving streets flooded and police forced to cordon places off.
This is a stark comparison to this time last year when Brits were enjoying the summer sun, taking boat rides down rivers and having BBQs at the beach.
The yellow warning is in place across most of the England until 9am today, while it will stay in place for Scotland until 8pm tonight.
The Met Office says there’s a slight chance of power cuts and loss of service to some homes and businesses, while flooding and damage to buildings is also possible.
The forecaster also warned that spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions, and delays or cancellations to trains and buses.
The weather service said: ‘Heavy showers are expected to develop during Tuesday morning, then become more widespread and slow-moving across the east of the warning area during the afternoon.
‘Whilst many places will miss the worst, where showers do occur, 15-20 mm rainfall is likely within an hour, and perhaps 30 to 40 mm in 1 to 2 hours in a few places.’
The East of England should expect the weather to turn ‘heavy and thundery’ today, with outbreaks of rain and strong winds forecast for Wednesday.
Before it should get drier on Thursday afternoon and Friday.
It comes after last week’s deluge of thunderstorms, which saw people sheltering under their umbrellas in Cambridge and London, briefly came to a halt with a glimpse of the glorious summer sunshine.
According to traditional folklore, the weather experienced on St Swithin’s Day (July 15) will continue for the next 40 days – meaning parts of the country could be in for a wet rest of the summer if the superstition holds true.
The proverb of St Swithin says: ‘St Swithin’s Day if thou dost rain, for forty days it will remain, St Swithin’s Day if thou be fair, for forty days will rain na mair.’
The wet forecast follows a soggy seven months so far which has seen rain derail stay-cation summer plans for many.
Grahame Madge, of the Met Office, has explained why the UK is currently experiencing a miserable summer.
He said: ‘In a typical summer, the jet stream moves to the north of the UK, allowing areas of high pressure to develop in the meanders, bringing more settled and often warm weather.
‘However, this summer the jet stream has been largely more south-shifted, meaning we are on the cold side of the jet.
‘Areas of low pressure associated with the jet stream have also brought more unsettled conditions to influence, bringing bouts of wind and rain.
‘This isn’t an unprecedented weather picture for summer by any means, but this pattern looks as though it will remain in the forecast for some time to come.’