Climate disruption in Britain

Gigantic hailstones, 'snow', lightning and 'biblical' floods batter Britain as summer ends

BRITAIN was battered by gigantic hailstones the size of GOLF BALLS today as bitter winds ushered in violent thunderstorms.

Express

2 September, 2015

Parts of the country were beset by flash floods following torrential downpours that washed out large swathes of the Midlands. 

Temperatures plunged to single figures in Birmingham, with stunned residents scarcely able to believe their eyes when "snow" started falling in the streets. 
Heavy rain turned roads into rivers and traffic ground to a halt amid the chaos as Britain's miserable end to summer dragged on in dismal fashion. 

There were also reports that some elderly people were trapped in their homes, unable to go out for fear of the torrents of filthy water racing past their front doors. 


Temperatures plunged to single figures in the midlands city


Shocked residents said the hail made the streets look like it was Christmas

Paul Rigby, 32, captured water streaming down his street in Birmingham following torrential downpours last night. 

The dad-of-three, who works as a nursing home carer, said: "I've never seen anything like it, certainly not at the end of August. 

"I guess it signals that summer is well and truly over. It looked like a tropical storm you would see in Miami or somewhere like that, not in a suburb of Birmingham. 


He added: "But then there was this white covering of hail too, which looked bizarre. It felt nearer Christmas than summer. 

"It was like a river had burst its banks nearby, it was on a biblical level. The downpour lasted about half an hour, I couldn't believe my eyes." 

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NTI


Traffic was brought to a standstill by flash floods

Residents reported being pelted with hailstones the size of golf balls as dazzling lightning shows flashed overhead. 

The huge chunks of ice piled up in the streets to give neighbourhoods a surreal Christmassy look at a time when neighbours should be basking in glorious late summer sunshine. 

Stuart Ellis, who lives in the Northfield area of Birmingham, said the weather resembled "Christmas come early". 

Marian Warem, from Kings Norton, Birmingham, added: "My grandson was out with a friend in the car and he said he's never seen anything like in his life."
One local wrote on Twitter: "So much hail it looks like snow!!!"

Anthony Scott captured this footage from his home on Hillmeads Road in Kings Norton. pic.twitter.com/sPBAhZGCtg

— Birmingham Updates (@BhamUpdates) September 2, 2015

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The freak weather was caused by colder air colliding with the remnants of a front that had moved over Britain from the continent.

It came on the back of a washout August that was one of the wettest on record, with the south east of England alone recording double the usual amount of rain.

Today weather forecasters warned that the dreadful conditions are likely to continue for several days, with frost predicted for later in the week. 

Leon Brown from The Weather Channel said: "It will be rather cool for the rest of the week with temperatures 2 to 4C below normal, with highs in the mid-teens.

"There will be chilly nights this Saturday and Sunday, with probable ground frosts and even an air frost under clear skies."