Thunder and lightning is raging in the south of England as Londoners report 'biblical storms' amid torrential downpours after the Met Office warned of floods and up to two inches of rain.
The London Fire Brigade has already received 150 calls over flooding in the area and the Met Office has warned there may be flooding in the entire south of the country.
And the Metropolitan Police are evacuating people in certain areas of London after reports of flooding and collapsed ceilings.
A spokesman said: 'Reports of heavy flooding around Westminster including Colville Terrace, Holland Road and Ladbroke Grove Emergency services assisting in evacuating areas due to reports of flooded properties and collapsed ceilings.'
And police have issued a warning to people to stay away from Raynes Park station due to heavy flooding. They added that people should avoid driving in the area because roads are flooded.
As crestfallen football fans recover from their Euros 2020 final defeat, the bleak weather is reflecting the mood of the nation - with heavy rain warnings issued for some parts of the UK.
England's dreams of Euro 2020 glory were shattered at Wembley last night as they lost to Italy on penalties - extending the '55 years of hurt' but leaving the nation expressing pride at the Three Lions' achievements.
It left football fans joking that the heavy rain would 'at least hide the tears' after last night's loss, with another commenting that the weather was 'matching England's mood'.
But in brighter news, the heat is set to return by the weekend with forecasters predicting the mercury will soar to around 80F (26C).
Before the settled weather appears, the Met Office issued a severe rain alert for London today with parts of the UK hit by heavy showers and and thunderstorms.
Rain batters the streets of London forcing cars to drive through inches of rain during thunderstorms this evening
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The London Fire Brigade has already received 150 calls over flooding in the area and the Met Office has warned there may be flooding in the south of the country
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West London is battered with downpours of rain amid thunderstorms and flood warnings
The weather is set to clear as the week goes on with higher temperatures expected into the weekend
Torrential rain is starting to flood roads in London as lightning and thunder strike
Londoners took to Twitter with their disbelief of the torrential downpours this evening
Yikes. This is Shepherds Bush right now apparently. The rain is crazy in London. It’s like a monsoon here in Sutton too. pic.twitter.com/4XdhpFSo0s
— Kevin Edger (@KEdge23) July 12, 2021
Yikes. This is Shepherds Bush right now apparently. The rain is crazy in London. It’s like a monsoon here in Sutton too. pic.twitter.com/4XdhpFSo0s
Non stop rain in London pic.twitter.com/0I2ukuQcuo
— Meydan Rabka (@grata007) July 12, 2021
Non stop rain in London pic.twitter.com/0I2ukuQcuo
Wading through the flood waters of my apartment building in #London ... Fun times. pic.twitter.com/GWmEL64teg
— Helena Humphrey (@helenachumphrey) July 12, 2021
Wading through the flood waters of my apartment building in #London ... Fun times. pic.twitter.com/GWmEL64teg
Flash flooding has hit parts of London during 'biblical' storms this evening
A man gets absolutely soaked as he runs through the streets in Highgate during this evening's storms
Flash flooding in Putney has caused chaos on the roads while commuters try and get home in rush hour
Heavy rainfall caused chaos on the roads in Putney, southwest London, this evening
People sprint through the streets of Highgate in north London to get out of the torrential downpours
A cyclist is absolutely drenched as she cycles through Putney, southwest London, during tonight's storms
Flooding inside a building today during the torrential downpours in the south of the country
The umbrellas were necessary as the heavy rain set in across parts of the UK. Pictured: Group in Weymouth, Dorset
Two inches of rain is set to fall in as little as two hours today across the capital and parts of the south east. Pictured: Flooding in Bournemouth
Thunderstorms are also likely to roll in with the heavy showers, forecasters warn. Pictured: Two young girls visit the rainy beach at Birling Gap
Met Office forecasters issued a yellow weather warning for the majority of the south coast amid concerns of flooding
Crestfallen football fans joked that the bleak weather is reflecting the mood of the nation after England lost to Italy in the Euros 2020 final last night
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A Met Office spokesperson told Mail Online: 'The torrential downpours could see 20 to 30mm of rain in an hour. Maybe 60mm over two to three hours. Today there is quite a lot of rain around, while tomorrow it becomes a lot more showery.'
The experts issued a yellow weather warning for large swathes of the south coast, with the possibility of flooding to homes, roads and businesses amid the torrential downpours.
A flood warning is also in place on the River Loddon where river levels have risen as a result of persistent rainfall in previous weeks.
Drivers were told to beware of difficult driving conditions and some road closures due to the heavy rain today, while warnings of possible travel disruption across train and bus services were also issued.
The spokesperson added: 'The yellow warnings covers most of the south coast from Kent down to Devon and up into East Anglia.
'Within that warning area you are at risk of seeing some slow moving heavy showers. There is a chance of some thunderstorms as well. The warning is in place until midnight tonight.'
But other parts of the UK are also set to be damp today, even those not covered by the Met Office's official warning.
Although sunny spells will develop this afternoon in places like Northern Ireland and Scotland, these areas can also expect to see some rain today.
'Warnings are issued on impact so the warning area is where we are expecting to see the impacts from the rain, but there could still be rain outside those areas,' said the Met Office spokesperson.
'There's heavy showers with the potential for thunderstorms in Northern Ireland and western Scotland as well. It's just that the rain won't have as much of an impact as some of those areas aren't so heavily populated or built.'
Drivers were told to beware of difficult driving conditions and some road closures due to the heavy rain today, while warnings of possible travel disruption across train and bus services were also issued. Pictured: Rainy Weymouth in Dorset
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Bottoms up! Bizarre video shows fan with lit flare up his backside
Biker gang drag driver out of van and stamped on him repeatedly
Jackass crew's Poopies' hand bitten by a shark in Shark Week stunt
Twelfth of July parades take place across Northern Ireland
Embarrassing moment driver takes EIGHT minutes to park in huge space
Orangemen march to mark Twelfth of July in Northern Ireland
Children hurled off bouncy castles that were blown by gust of wind
Hundreds of singing and dancing fans take over Trafalgar Square
Woman screams at takeaway store for refusing service over mask
Orange Order members took to the streets of Northern Ireland
Fans in Newcastle devastated as they lose the Euro 2020 final
Shocking moment fans storm barriers to access Wembley stadium
But despite the gloomy weather, the showers are set to stop and the temperatures pick up as Britain heads into the weekend. Pictured: Pair sit on Eastbourne beach, East Sussex. Met Office weather warning map
A woman in an umbrella surveys the flooding caused by heavy rain in Bournemouth Gardens on the south coast of the UK
Bournemouth (pictured, flooding in Bournemouth gardens) is one of the many cities along the south coast affected by the yellow weather warnings
Football fans in Glasgow, Scotland, watched last night's Euro 2020 final in the rain as more thunderstorms and heavy showers are forecast over the country today
more videos
Bottoms up! Bizarre video shows fan with lit flare up his backside
Biker gang drag driver out of van and stamped on him repeatedly
Jackass crew's Poopies' hand bitten by a shark in Shark Week stunt
Twelfth of July parades take place across Northern Ireland
Embarrassing moment driver takes EIGHT minutes to park in huge space
Orangemen march to mark Twelfth of July in Northern Ireland
Children hurled off bouncy castles that were blown by gust of wind
Hundreds of singing and dancing fans take over Trafalgar Square
Woman screams at takeaway store for refusing service over mask
Orange Order members took to the streets of Northern Ireland
Fans in Newcastle devastated as they lose the Euro 2020 final
Shocking moment fans storm barriers to access Wembley stadium
It follows news that despite the wet weather we experienced in Britain throughout the month, Europe enjoyed the second-warmest June on record.
But the good weather is set to return this weekend as the rain clears throughout the week with temperatures expected to reach up to 26C.
This is due to a high pressure system building northeastwards from the Azores, which experts say mean the second half of the week will be warm and more settled.
And in brighter news, the Met Office's long range forecast is predicting sunnier spells for the rest of July and into early August, where conditions could be 'warmer and drier' than the average year.
The Met Office spokesperson added: 'From Wednesday we start to see a change and a shift in weather type and it becomes much more settled.
England's dreams of Euro 2020 glory were shattered at Wembley last night as they lost to Italy on penalties - extending the '55 years of hurt' but leaving the nation expressing pride at the Three Lions' achievements
. It left football fans joking that the heavy rain would 'at least hide the tears' after last night's loss, with another commenting that the weather was 'matching England's mood'
'We're looking at some dry sunny weather, and as we go through the second half of the week temperatures will start to pick up a bit and become warmer day on day.
'There's still potentially some cloud more on the east coast because the onshore breeze is bringing the cloud in.
'Those settled conditions are set to continue for the rest of the month into the start of August.
'By the end of the week we could well see mid 20s quite easily. It looks like the warm weather will continue into the weekend and we could see mid to high 20s by the end of the weekend.
'The warm weather is being caused by a high pressure system and we could see 26, or up to 28 over the weekend.'
