Londoners enjoyed a brief respite from the downpour today – but more rain is to come.
Forecasters have put a dampener on any hopes of a return to the warm and sunny weather that dominated last month in the midst of what is the wettest April ever.
The Met Office said that after a brighter day today, heavy showers, possibly with hail, and “giving a risk of local downpours” will return tomorrow.
The weekend is expected to be cloudy, wet and windy with heavy rain and possible gales near coasts. Temperatures will remain in the low to mid teens.
The Environment Agency said 43 flood alerts and three flood warnings remained in place across England, mostly in the south west.
Three alerts have been issued for the south east. They are for the River Blackwater in Hampshire, the River Mole in Surrey and for several streams and brooks in Sussex.
The agency has previously warned that the drought gripping swathes of England could increase the risk of flash flooding as rain is less easily absorbed by dry, compacted soils, instead running off and causing localised floods.
However, water companies said the rain was nowhere near enough to end the south east’s official drought status or bring an end to water restrictions.
Richard Aylard, from Thames Water, one of seven companies which have brought in hosepipe bans in response to the drought, said “a couple of wet weeks” was not enough to reverse record dry conditions seen in the region in the past two years.
Walkers and skiers in the Cairngorm mountains were warned of a day of “incessant snow” as the Scottish ski season looked set to extend into May.
At least three mini-tornadoes were reported in England yesterday.
Today’s race meeting at Beverley was called off because of the heavy rain.
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