Muhammad Mussa
August 18, 2022•Update: August 18, 2022
LONDON
Southern England experienced torrential rainfall and severe flooding Wednesday following weeks of dry weather.
In response to the extreme weather pattern, the Meteorological Office issued a “danger to life” flood warning covering most parts of the southeast and the capital London.
Across parts of the UK, severe flooding has left homes and businesses damaged with streets underwater. London’s Victoria train station, a major travel hub in the capital, was disrupted by flooding.
"Not long after 3 p.m. this afternoon, station colleagues at London Victoria noticed flooding at the main entrance due to heavy rainfall, with large volumes of water running down the slope leading towards the eastern concourse,” said Network Rail, one of the main operators at the station.
The southwest of England this week has experienced an uptick in thunderstorms and flooding after weeks of hot weather brought on by two successive heat waves.
The subsequent drought that followed the heat waves has made soil dry and arid, raising the risk of flooding.
On Wednesday, the Met Office issued an amber and a yellow warning that lasted throughout the day.
The warnings were made after Thames Water, a major water supplier in the UK, announced plans to impose a hosepipe ban for much of the south.
Under such a ban, people are prohibited from using a hosepipe for things such as watering their garden, filling a pool or washing their car.
The months of July and August experienced the hottest summers after witnessing a record temperature of 40C (104F). Less than 10% rainfall was recorded in all regions across the southeast of England, making it the driest year since 1836.
