UK weather forecast – ‘SNOW’ falls after freak thunderstorms dump 2in of rain and spark flood chaos
SNOW appears to have fallen in the UK today after freak thunderstorms dumped two inches of rain and sparked flood chaos.
Baffled residents in Walsall, West Midlands, woke up to find a covering of white on their street following a summer hailstorm.
It comes as torrential rain sparked floods in Manchester, Birmingham, Dorset, East Midlands and parts of Wales during a third day of thunderstorms.
Almost 200 properties were flooded overnight in Pentre, South Wales - four months after it was hit twice by flooding during Storm Dennis.
And weather experts have warned up to 2.4in of rain is forecast to fall across South West England and parts of Wales today.
The Met Office has issued an extended yellow weather warning for storms across southern England and South Wales until midnight.
One homeowner was spotted floating down his flooded street on a lilo today.
And locals were left scratching their heads when they discovered a snow covering in Cavell Close in Walsall.
Photographs taken while the temperature was 16C show the wintry scene - in the middle of June.
Walsall Council posted the shocking pictures on its websites, asking: "snow in June? Surely not."
It was caused by a severe hailstorm which left behind what looked like lying snow following a night of heavy rain, thunder and lightning.
Dad-of-one Jerry Lovell, 44, said: "We'd had really severe storms and when I opened the curtains and saw what looked like snow, I was gobsmacked.
"Our street looked like a scene from a Christmas card. It looked more like January than June.
"I nearly got my sledge out."
In more welcome weather news, Britain will be hit by a heatwave towards the end of June with temperatures surging to scorching levels, the latest weather graphs suggest.
It comes as lockdown restrictions are continuing to ease across the UK as the number of coronavirus infections drops. Long-range forecasts show temperatures will mainly remain in the mid-20s, but some areas of the southeast of England will see highs of around 30C.
The Met Office weather forecast from June 30 to July 14 says that although there is a risk of showers - with some turning heavy and possibly thundery across the south - the UK should also see some drier and brighter interludes.
The forecast says: "Temperatures should generally be above average, possibly turning very warm in places.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.