UK weather: Britain is set for floods, 60mph gales and two-week washout

The Great INDOORS: Heavens open over Britain on day millions can finally go inside pubs, restaurants and friends’ homes… with UK set for floods and howling 60mph gales at start of two-week washout

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Britain’s washout May continued today as the country braced for a further fortnight of heavy rain – on the day that pubs and restaurants reopened indoors amid the third stage of the roadmap out of lockdown.

The UK also faces 60mph gales from Thursday, 25ft waves in the South West into the weekend and flooding in some areas – with the rain expected to last until at least midway through next week.

The Environment Agency had nine flood alerts and two flood warnings in place for England this morning, with heavy showers set to develop across southern and eastern areas today and thundery conditions possible.

Tonight will stay mostly dry with clear skies, although thick cloud will develop across Scotland with showers forecast there as well as in South West England, becoming more persistent towards the early morning.

Conditions will be largely dry and bright at first tomorrow, with showers in the West, before they hit much of the rest of Britain after midday, with some turning heavy and thundery – although it will be sunny in the North.

Another wet day is forecast for Wednesday, with showers across Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland –although it will be a sunny day for southern England and Wales. Thursday will be very wet and windy again.

Yesterday’s UK high temperature was 18.1C (64.6F) at Myerscough in Lancashire, the low was -0.7C (30.7F) at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, and the most rain recorded in 24 hours was 31.6mm (1.24in) at Okehampton in Devon.

It came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for a ‘heavy dose of caution’ as indoor socialising and physical contact resumed against the backdrop of concerns over the Indian coronavirus variant.

He said ‘now everyone must play their part’ as pubs and restaurants welcomed customers back indoors, visits to the homes of friends and family resumed and the foreign holiday ban ended.

Hugs and other physical contact between households are also permitted for the first time since restrictions began more than a year ago.

But the measures were eased as top scientists called for caution and warned of a ‘perilous moment’, with the Indian variant feared to be as much as 50 per cent more transmissible than the Kent strain. 

Cinemas, hotels and B&Bs can also reopen, with the ‘rule of six’ applying indoors and the order to physically distance having ended between friends and family.

But Mr Johnson has warned the Indian variant could jeopardise plans to end legal restrictions on June 21. Clubs and gatherings of more than 30 people indoors will stay banned until the fourth and final phase of the roadmap.