The tranquil aftermath of a scorching weekend has swiftly given way to a deluge, with the Met Office issuing severe weather warnings for heavy downpours set to drench parts of the UK today.

Anticipating the onslaught, forecasters have pinpointed regions in the south-west of England, south Wales, and Northern Ireland as those most likely to bear the brunt of the rainstorms. Yellow weather warnings have been firmly in place, extending their cautionary gaze until the late hours of tomorrow night.

Meteorologist Kathryn Chalk has underscored the potential for disruption, highlighting the possibility of up to 8mm of rainfall per hour in some areas.

We’ve got a store change, with outbreaks of heavy rain across western parts,” Chalk commented, emphasizing the impending intensity of the downpours.

Expectations are set for heavy rainfall to bring up to a third of an inch of rain per hour across the South West, Wales, and Northern Ireland today. Weather warnings have been deployed across southwest England, south Wales, and the eastern flank of Northern Ireland. Another warning has been issued for Northern Ireland for tomorrow, as the tempestuous weather system persists.

Chalk elucidated, “In the sunshine, it will still feel pleasantly warm, perhaps not as warm as we saw over the weekend. But a different-feeling day towards western parts, underneath all the cloud and rain, temperatures struggling to get above 15C (59F).”

She projected a mild start for tomorrow, with prospects improving as the week progresses. “It does look like a case of sunny spells and scattered showers, temperatures still feeling warm in the sunshine,” she added.

The aftermath of Sunday’s heavy rainfall in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, served as a stark reminder of the potential consequences, with localized flooding causing difficulties for motorists navigating the inundated roads.

In Cornwall and Devon, heavy rain threatens to elevate the risk of flooding until midnight tonight, echoing concerns also prevalent in southern Wales, particularly in Swansea and Cardiff.

Eastern areas of Northern Ireland are not spared from the forecasted downpours, with weather warnings in place until early tomorrow morning.

This sudden shift in weather patterns follows a period of prolonged dry and warm conditions. Britons basked in the hottest day of the year on Sunday, setting records with temperatures soaring to 81.5F (27.5C) in Chertsey, Surrey, and reaching highs of 77.5F (25.3C) in Usk, south Wales.

The torrential rain of today stands in stark contrast to the dryness experienced in April, which marked the sixth wettest on record since data collection began almost two centuries ago. The month of April 2024 notably emerged as the wettest since 2012, with figures suggesting a departure from the norm. The cumulative rainfall between March and May has already surpassed the long-term average for both England and Wales, indicating a dampening of spirits even as spring lingers for another fortnight, according to the Met Office’s provisional statistics.