Drier and fresher conditions for most after flooding soaks parts of country

Parts of the country hit by a barrage of flash flooding are set for some respite with much drier but noticeably cooler conditions forecast widely.

Scotland and northern England will still see some heavy showers with a chance of thunder on Tuesday but these will be isolated and localised while further weather warnings are “unlikely”, the Met Office said.

There will also be a “fresher feel” compared with recent days, with maximum temperatures rising no higher than the mid-teens.

It comes after many places in Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire saw more than 100mm of rain in the last 48 hours, leading to widespread travel disruption and damage to properties.

Woburn in Bedfordshire saw the most rainfall with 132mm recorded over the same period, more than twice the amount of its September average rainfall amount, the forecaster said.

As of Monday night, 27 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – had been issued for England by the Environment Agency.

Liam Eslick, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “People waking up first thing tomorrow morning will see a lot less rainfall.

“There may be odd, heavier bursts just clipping the South East as a system does slowly start to move away, but it’s a much drier day for most people.

“There is going to be some isolated showers here and there, but they’re going to be very light, nothing like the torrential rain that we’ve seen over the last couple of days.”

National Highways said it expected the A421 in Bedfordshire to remain closed on Tuesday in both directions between A6 Bedford and M1 J13 near Marston Moretaine due to severe flooding, and that it “cannot provide a timeline for the road to reopen”.

London Northwestern Railway said its Marston Vale line, which operates services between Bedford and Bletchley, would be suspended until September 30.

Mr Eslick said the heaviest rain on Tuesday would be in and around Scotland, with any surface water flooding on roads very localised.

River levels should start to decrease to more manageable levels elsewhere towards the end of the day as more water seeps into the ground.

The shift to drier conditions in southern areas will also signal a slight dip in temperatures.

“As the system that we have had moves its way off towards the east, we start to get a bit more of a northerly flow so we’re bringing in that cooler northerly winds,” the forecaster said.

“The winds aren’t going to be strong at all, but with the direction that it is coming in, there will be a bit more of a fresher feel.”

Southern England is likely to see highs of around 16C, while parts of Scotland will only reach 11C.

A gradual lowering of temperatures will continue through Wednesday and Thursday but it is unlikely any frost will develop with plenty of cloud around.