The southeast of England has been hammered by thunderstorms and torrential rain today, flooding London Victoria, and other stations, and prompting warnings of a "risk to life" from swift-moving, deep floodwater.
The severe downpours in London have caused considerable disruptions to public transportation by closing tube stations and flooding parts of the M25 and A406.
Commuters have been struggling to get home amid these disruptions.
Thunderstorms in southern England
Tasos Mansour/Unsplash
Much of southern England is under a yellow thunderstorm warning till midnight, which means there is a chance of flooding, lightning strikes, snarled traffic, and power outages.
Up until 8:00 BST, it will continue to blanket a sizable portion of Kent.
The Environment Agency has issued 17 flood alerts in England due to the possibility of up to 100mm of rain.
Following weeks of intense heat and tinder-dry conditions, heavy rain on Tuesday caused roadways in England, Wales, and Scotland to become flooded.
According to the BBC weather presenter Simon King, Worksop in Nottinghamshire received 93mm of rain between 17:00 and 20:00 BST on Tuesday, nearly double the monthly normal of 54mm.
Cars have been spotted in Brent Cross driving across floodwater as the opposite side of the road is closed off owing to the deep water.
The Environment Agency advised against driving through floodwater, stating that a car can float in "only 30 cm" of flowing water and that the water is frequently deeper than it appears to be.
The Met Office has issued yellow and amber warnings for a sizable portion of England and Wales.
Roads are already flooded, drains are overflowing, and people are urgently trying to hold back floodwaters as a result of torrential rains that have hit large portions of the nation.
Today's thunderstorms were covered by an amber weather advisory from the Met Office in areas of England, including Chichester to Ipswich and London, Brighton, and Essex.
Earl's Court, Loughton, and Turnpike Lane underground stations are among those that are now closed as a result of flooding.
Tottenham Hale and Victoria are partially closed, and there is no District or Circle line service on the London Overground.
Numerous flights at Gatwick have been canceled due to the heavy rain, which has also caused enormous delays that have left some passengers waiting on the tarmac for four hours.
At least 24 planes due to leave the airport have been delayed, and dozens more have been told to "enquire airline," while 45 arrival flights have been canceled.
Travelers to London by air assert that their flights were abruptly canceled owing to weather and that they were left waiting in the airport for hours without any communication, according to the Dailymail.
According to the BBC, Holbeach in Lincolnshire got 146.2 mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to 9 a.m. today, accounting for 38% of the region's annual rainfall.
Following the closure of one of the busiest main lines by flooding this morning, train services in East Anglia have been canceled, affecting thousands of travelers.
According to Greater Anglia, services on the congested London to Ipswich and Norwich route will be canceled or rescheduled due to the severe rain, and the disruption will continue until further notice.
Trains cannot run between these stations, as per Network Rail, due to flooding at a level crossing.
The organization tweeted this afternoon that trains are moving more slowly in Kent and East Sussex as a result of its weather alarms going off there.
