More than a month’s rain falls on parts of UK in just six hours

August 19, 2011 – LONDON — Flash floods caused chaos yesterday as a fortnight’s rain fell in just half an hour in some areas. Surges of waist-high water in Dorset forced shopkeepers to flee submerged stores and motorists to abandon their vehicles as towns were brought to a standstill for several hours. Huge cracks opened along main roads in Bournemouth and lifeguards had to run for cover as a torrent of water rushed through the town to the beach, which would normally be packed with tourists. Residents reported 3ft tides of water heading towards their homes. Torrential deluges in Hampshire also caused havoc in Southampton, Basingstoke and Winchester, with roads closed across the county. A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: ‘One car in Wimborne was seen to float away with an elderly couple inside and members of the public helped push it back on to land.’ He said firemen responded to more than 100 incidents in the two hours from 10.30am, adding: ‘There were people stranded in vehicles and buildings with water gushing in. ‘Many people were stranded on the roads where police vehicles couldn’t reach them, so we sent wading teams in.’ Meteorologist Dr Richard Wild, from independent weather forcasters Weathernet, said 30mm of rain fell in 30 minutes, adding: ‘The average rainfall for August is 56mm, so that’s around half. Anything over 4mm an hour is considered heavy so this was well beyond that. The rain was forecast, caused by a warm front over the Channel, but the amount was underestimated.’ –Daily Mail

contribution Jemma