UK weather: severe rain warnings issued for England and Wales

Severe weather warnings for rain across most of England and Wales on Sunday and Monday are bringing an abrupt end to the summer, with intense thunderstorms sweeping the UK.

Forecasters have warned the public to be wary of local flooding, with the potential for some communities to be cut off by flooded roads and a chance of power cuts.

On Sunday, the autumn equinox – when the days and nights are roughly the same length – warm, humid weather in Wales and the south of England will continue to be peppered with thunderstorms.

More than 13,000 lightning strikes had already occurred in the UK by Sunday morning, meteorologists pointed out, signalling the end of a short summery spell.

Into Sunday evening, those living in the south-east might be woken overnight by thunderstorms, which will begin to travel further north, with the most intense downpours across the Midlands, heading into the north and south-west of England.

Monday will bring more thunderstorms and an amber weather warning stretching from the West Midlands through South Yorkshire to the East Yorkshire coast, parts of which could have 100-120mm of rain, with the weather clearing in the south-east of England.

A yellow warning is in place across most of England and Wales for Monday, sparing the most western parts of Wales and the south-west of England, with the north-east of England and the far north-west mostly spared. The weather is expected to be largely cloudy further north with patchy rain in northern Scotland, the Met Office said.

Later in the week, the equilux – where the days and nights are the exact same length – will occur on Tuesday, when the storms will dissipate, leaving wet and windy weather from Wednesday. Friday will feel more autumnal, as arctic air brings temperatures of 11-12C, below the average for the time of year.

The Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: “With Sunday marking the autumnal equinox summer has now officially come to an end, and it ended with a bang for some of us.”

He added: “We do then have a rain warning in force throughout Sunday for this band of rain that’s going to be moving across Wales, central southern areas of England.

“Some very heavy pulses are possible with some surface water issues, travel disruption, so it is worth taking care if you are out and about or travelling during the day.”