Following the hottest day of the year so far, the Met Office has issued a warning of possible flash floods in parts of the country. Heavy showers are forecast for southern, central and eastern England. The risk of flooding from rivers is low, but surface flooding could happen as 1″ – 2″ of rain is expected in some areas.

Summer lightning, thunder and drenching rain have blew across the southern part on the United Kingdom, drowning out the cricket at Lord’s and the Oval and the tennis at Wimbledon, where even Centre Court play was affected by the violent drumming caused by the rain on the one hundred million pound roof.

 

It is after the temperatures soared that the threat of heavy rain was forecast. The temperature in Gravesend, Kent reached 32.8C. A spokesman for the Met Office has said that the volume of rainwater falling in such a short period of time could lead to surface flooding.

 

Because of the very dry spring, some parts of east and central England are officially in a state of drought, meaning that many rivers are unlikely to flood as they are at low levels.