UNITED KINGDOM: Thames Water has declared a hosepipe ban for its 15 million consumers in London and the surrounding areas, effective the following week.
The restriction will take effect on Wednesday, August 24, and it coincides with similar limitations that will take effect on Tuesday in Devon and Cornwall.
Today’s thunderstorms are deluging the parched terrain of the nation with torrential rain, putting large portions of Britain at risk of flash flooding.
A yellow weather warning from the Met Office is in effect for England and Wales, with the possibility of power outages, transportation delays, and a threat to life from swiftly moving or deep floodwater.
“With no appreciable rainfall in some southern places since June, the soils in some areas have gotten baked by the sun converting them into hard, nearly impenetrable surfaces,” said Dan Suri, a forecaster for the Met Office.
Any rainfall won’t be able to soak up in these locations since it will wash soil and other hard surfaces away, leading to rapid floods in some places.
Heavy rain this morning caused delays for commuters in certain areas of Scotland, reducing train speeds on some rail segments and impacting many roads with surface water.
As the UK experiences heavy rain, the three-day Met Office weather warning stresses the risk of potential flash floods, power outages, and travel disruptions.
However, scientists also caution that a very uncommon health risk known as “thunderstorm asthma” may exist during stormy weather.
At the beginning of August, more rain was received in a few spots than is typically seen in a whole week.
According to the reports, Strathallan, a suburb of Perth, received 55.2mm (2 inches) of rain in less than 24 hours. This amounts to 71% of the 77mm that the region typically receives in the entire month of August.
According to the study, 17mm (0.7in) of rain fell in one hour at Houghton Hall in Norfolk on Tuesday. Additionally, the torrential downpour has caused traffic and train delays, according to the local media.
Since there were speed limitations in effect because of severe weather, ScotRail had forewarned customers to expect delays on some routes. The maximum speed for trains was 40 mph, or 20 mph if the standard speed restriction was lower. Additionally, Network Rail claimed that flooding at the Perth station obliged it to take action.
Surface water was disrupting numerous routes, Traffic Scotland warned, and caution was advised for drivers.
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