London FLOODS: Roads are left underwater as Britain is lashed by heavy downpours, thunderstorms and lightning during washout start to August
Parts of London have flooded yet again as heavy rain continues to battle the capital while thunderstorms are predicted to bring more lightning, hail and downpours to several parts of the UK.
It comes after heavy rain saw tube stations fill with water, along with homes and businesses, at the end of July.
Similar scenes have been captured across the capital today, with streets and roads submerged in water as cars attempt to drive through.
Video footage shared online shows vehicles cautiously driving through deep water in Battersea while another clip shows a flooded basement at a building in Tower Bridge.
Tower Bridge itself has also been filmed filling with water on Saturday morning with more rain predicted throughout the weekend.
Stepney Green and Holborn underground stations were also closed due to flooding as well as a platform at Liverpool Street Station.
However, experts have said it is likely the weather will clear up for a chance at a drier summer towards the end of August.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: 'It's going to stay quite changeable at least for the next week but as we head towards the end of August, there's a likelihood we'll see hotter spell of weather and drier more settled weather across the whole of the UK.'
While it is too early to predict temperatures at this stage, it could 'potentially be in the high 20s'.
Ms Mitchell said that even though it may not seem like it, this summer has been 'warmer and drier than average'.
She said: 'It's not been wetter on average but we've seen a lot of reports on the news about the flooding.
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The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and up into central Scotland from 4am Friday until midnight on Saturday - with the wet weather to continue into Monday
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A basement in Tower Bridge, London, floods on Saturday for the second time after previously filling with water during heavy rain in late July
Roads in London were already flooding by Saturday morning with more storms and rain predicted throughout the weekend (Pictured: Queenstown Road in Battersea)
Cars and a van cautiously drive through deep water on Queenstown Road in Battersea, London
'That's why it may feel like a bad summer, with not much warmth or sunshine.'
She explained that the only exception has been the south east of England, which has been wetter than usual and has already had 111% of its average rainfall for the summer.
Ms Mitchell added the cause of the torrential rain and thunderstorms is down to the fact that July was so hot.
She said: 'We've had quite a lot of warm weather and there was a heatwave during the middle part of July.
'The end of that heatwave triggered a lot of thunderstorms and heavy and intense rain, which is what brought some of those flooding incidents across parts of the southeast.
'There has been a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time, creating localised flooding events rather than it being a wet period.'
The worst-hit places appear to be the City of London, which has had 143% of its average rainfall this summer, the Isle of Wight with 174% of its average summer rainfall, and Surrey with 126%.
Ms Mitchell believes the Isle of Wight will only get rainier and imagines the percentage will be 'much higher by the end of summer'.
By comparison, Scotland has only has 38% of its average rainfall and Ms Mitchell said 'a few northern areas have been much, much drier'.
Dedicated jogger dons an anorak amid a downpour in Greenwich Park in south London on Saturday
A cyclist in Wood Green, north London, wears a protective purple waterproof cloak while a woman takes shelter under an umbrella on Saturday morning
A woman in Wood Green, London, takes shelter under a newspaper after getting caught in Saturday's downpour
Tourists take cover under umbrellas while out punting on the River Cam in Cambridge on Saturday
A dog walker jumps over a puddle while dressed in shorts and a polo T-shirt and taking cover under an umbrella on Wimbledon Common, London
A cyclist powers through the downpour on Wimbledon Common, south London, on Saturday
It comes as the Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and up into central Scotland until midnight on Saturday night, with heavy showers potentially causing travel disruption and flooding in a few places.
Forecasters said some areas could be lashed by 20 to 30mm of rain over the space of an hour on Saturday after 40 to 60mm of rain fell in parts on Friday.
It comes after revellers braved the damp conditions across the country last night as scores of young Brits headed out on the town.
Groups of men and women donned their best summer attire as they took advantage of a break in the rain in Leeds and elsewhere.
Meanwhile the heavens have already opened on London this morning with residents seen out jogging in waterproof jackets and walking under umbrellas.
And the wet weather will continue into the start of next week.
Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: 'The reason for this is low pressure is in charge of the UK's weather at the moment - it's a very slow-moving area of low pressure, so it's not going anywhere quickly.
'It's leading to bands of heavy showers and thunderstorms which you have seen through the course of Friday, and we have seen flooding in places too.
'This is going to continue through the weekend, particularly across the northern half of the UK where the showers will be slow-moving compared to southern areas, where it's a little bit windier.'
Revellers braved the damp conditions across the country last night as scores of young Brits headed out on the town (Pictured: A group of friends in Leeds, one of whom seems to have grown tired of her heels)
Groups of women donned their best dresses and took advantage of a break in the rain in Leeds and elsewhere on Friday night
Three pals are all smiles as they take advantage of a break in the rain in Leeds on Friday night
Friends don their best summer outfits as they make their way through Leeds city centre
Woman offers her friend a drink of water as they make their way to the next bar in Leeds last night
Friends blast music from a laptop using a speaker and have a dance in the street in Leeds city centre
Woman goes barefoot after getting tired of her white heels as her friends give her the thumbs up
Friends rejoice and dance in the street while playing music through a speaker in Leeds on Friday
Group of lads are all smiles as they pose for a snap during a break in the rain in Leeds on Friday
Woman takes a break from partying as she sits on the ground outside a Wetherspoons in Leeds
Two friends in jeans stroll through Leeds on Friday night as they enjoy a pause in the rainfall
While there will be sunny spells among the showers, temperatures are set to be on the cooler side for this time of year, predicted to be in the high teens to low 20s.
Conditions on Sunday are set to be similar, with further downpours forecast for central and northern areas of the UK, more weather warnings expected and temperatures peaking at 21C to 22C.
Southern parts of England and Wales will be drier until later in the day, when heavy rain showers will move in for the evening, according to forecasters.
Sunshine and further heavy showers are forecast for Monday but are expected to ease for a drier and brighter Tuesday.
Going into the weekend residents had been warned that there was a small chance their homes and business could be flooded by Friday's slow-moving, heavy downpours.
The wet and windy weather made an appearance at Sandhurst, Berkshire, yesterday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended the Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy on behalf of the Queen.
The wet conditions are expected to persist today with some thunder, all of which the Met Office has advised may cause travel disruption.
Britons hoping to make the most of their weekend may be met with a washout after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms for the north of England (pictured: Manchester) and Scotland
One woman was caught in the middle of torrential rain and a thunderstorm in Manchester city centre on Friday as the weather took a turn for the worse
A cyclist riding during a heavy rain shower on Wimbledon Common in London, as the forecast is for rain and downpours mixed with sunny spells over the weekend
The wet conditions are expected to persist into Saturday with some thunder, all of which the Met Office has advised may cause travel disruption. Pictured: Cars drive through standing water in Gateacre, Liverpool
Eager people enjoyed a Friday night drink in Soho, despite the heavy rainstorms hitting the capital on Friday afternoon
Britain is set to be battered by flash floods, four inches of rain, lightning and 60mph winds as thunderstorms sweep in today and tomorrow. Pictured: Guests shield themselves from the rain as they arrive at the Sovereign's Parade at Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst
Heavy rain and thunderstorms caused flooding and traffic queues on the M8 near Royston, Glasgow, on Friday
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The thunderstorms will edge west today, no longer affecting Nottingham and parts of the north east, including Hull and Lincoln, and instead spread across to Northern Ireland and to more southern parts of Wales.
Parts of Northern Ireland have already started to feel the effects of the stormy weather Friday, with Berry Street in Belfast, beginning to flood - affecting several business.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'We do have a very unsettled weekend in prospect, with a lot of it covered by a thunderstorm and rain warnings.
'We have got an area of low pressure which will be milling around over the UK bringing rain to quite large parts, so I think everywhere can expect to see quite heavy showers.'
He added: 'We know the footprint of where we think the heaviest rainfall will be, but it's like a boiling saucepan: you will get bubbles coming up, and trying to pinpoint where the next bubble will be is virtually impossible.'
The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms for the north of England and Scotland which are predicted to edge west on Saturday - instead spreading across to Northern Ireland and to more southern parts of Wales.
Going into this evening, the showers will die out for many but continue in the north with a risk of persistent rain across parts of north Wales and northwest England. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre on Friday
Going into the new week The Met Office predicts heavy showers in the north on Sunday with sunnier spells in the south. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre on Friday
Business owners of Absolute Beauty Salon and Foggy Brew on Berry Street in Belfast clean up after their premises were flooded following torrential rain
The Sun also reports that some areas could see winds of up to 60mph.
Going into the new week The Met Office predicts heavy showers in the north on Sunday with sunnier spells in the south.
But the heavy rain will make a comback in many areas on Monday before Tuesday is expected to be mostly dry with some spells of sunshine.
Guests were seen arriving at Sandhurst shielding themselves from the heavy and blustery downpours with umbrellas while others opted to brave the rain.
The Prime Minister, who was also battered with his fair share of rain, decided to ditch his umbrella as he walked along a row of military personnel in the downpour.
Meanwhile, in Nottingham, spectators shelter from the rain under large umbrellas during day two of the First LV= Insurance test match between England and India at Trent Bridge.
Going into the new week The Met Office predicts heavy showers in the north on Sunday with sunnier spells in the south. Pictured: People out for a Friday night drink in Soho amid storms
One woman creatively used her Louis Vuitton handbag as an umbrella in Manchester city centre on Friday after getting caught in the thunderstorms
On Saturday, the thunderstorms will edge west, no longer affecting Nottingham and parts of the north east, including Hull and Lincoln. Pictured: Cars are hit with a heavy rain shower in Wimbledon village
Forecasts again say 'torrential downpours are likely in some places', while 'there is a risk of strong winds at times for some'. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre
Some pedestrians caught in the rain showers decided to adopt some more unique methods to protect themselves, with some wearing ponchos and one woman even used what appeared to be a plastic bag
Business owners of Absolute Beauty Salon on Berry Street in Belfast clean up after their premises were flooded following torrential rain
Others decided to adopt some more unique methods to protect themselves from the showers, with some wearing ponchos and sombreros to match.
The UK recorded its joint fifth warmest July on record this year after a heatwave that saw the first extreme heat warning.
In contrast, the second half of the month saw some areas hit by intense downpours which caused flooding.
Met Office forecaster Nicola Maxey stressed the weather may still be under an 'Atlantic influence', with showers in the North and West, adding: 'We are likely to see potential for thunderstorms through much of this week.'
The average temperature for August is 70.5F (21.4C) in southern England and 66F (19C) in the UK as a whole. Ms Maxey added: 'There's little signal we're going to see any exceptionally hot temperatures.'
Forecasts again say 'torrential downpours are likely in some places', while 'there is a risk of strong winds at times for some'. Miss Maxey said accumulations of rain in areas receiving a couple of thunderstorms could be high.
The average temperature for August is 70.5F (21.4C) in southern England and 66F (19C) in the UK as a whole. Pictured: People out for a Friday night drink in Soho despite the heavy summer rain storms
Forecasts again say 'torrential downpours are likely in some places', while 'there is a risk of strong winds at times for some'. Pictured: People caught in torrential rain in Manchester city centre on Friday
Parts of Northern Ireland have started to feel the effects of the stormy weather, with Berry Street in Belfast, beginning to flood - affecting several business. Pictured: Business owners of Foggy Brew on Berry Street in Belfast clean up after flooding
Guests were seen arriving at Sandhurst shielding themselves from the heavy and blustery downpours with umbrellas while others opted to brave the rain
Pedestrians are caught in a heavy rain shower on Wimbledon Common amid torrential downpours on Friday afternoon
In Nottingham, spectators shelter from the rain under large umbrellas during day two of the First LV= Insurance test match between England and India at Trent Bridge
Others decided to adopt some more unique methods to protect themselves from the showers, with some wearing ponchos and sombreros to match
But she added that it was 'quite usual to receive most of the month's rain in two to three bursts during the summer months'. The thunder could bring more flooding and make driving conditions difficult due to surface water and poor visibility.
An improvement in the weather is likely in the second half of next week. Miss Maxey said: 'From the 10th, 11th up to late August, there's some indication that we might see more settled weather as an area of high pressure moves in.
'But we'll continue that Atlantic influence, so it's unlikely to be a situation where temperatures build day by day, as happened in July. It could mean dry conditions become more prevalent but with the risk of showers and thunderstorms.
'Temperatures are due to turn higher than average but there's little signal we're going to see any exceptionally hot weather for the second half of the month.'
Miss Maxey said it was too early to give further details about the warm conditions. Temperatures over the coming days are only set to reach highs of 70F (21C) to 72F (22C) in northern and southern areas of England and Wales.