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UK flood alerts issued as Hurricane Lorenzo comes to town

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Parliament in the rain as Met Office issues UK flood alerts before Hurricane Lorenzo arrives
Pedestrians step through puddles of rainwater as they walk along the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London on September 24, 2019 after the judgement of the Supreme Court on the legality of Boris Johnson's advice to the Queen to suspend parliament for more than a month, as the clock ticks down to Britain's October 31 EU exit date. - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday said he disagreed with but would respect the Supreme Court ruling which found his decision to suspend parliament unlawful. "I have to say that I strongly disagree with what the justices have found. I don't think that it's right but we will go ahead and of course parliament will come back," he told British broadcasters during a visit to New York. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) (Photo credit should read TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Torrential downpours are set to wreak havoc in the capital today as the UK braces for the potential arrival of Hurricane Lorenzo.

Read more: UK weather forecast: Showers to batter Brits until Sunday after rainfall causes travel chaos

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning after heavy rain and thunder battered south Wales and southern England over the weekend and into the early part of the week.

Brits were warned spray and flooding could lead to road closures, while there was a slight chance of delays or cancellations to trains and bus services.

The Met Office said there was a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded and that the extreme weather could lead to power cuts or even pose a danger to life.

Meanwhile, a major incident has been declared on the Isle of Man as severe flooding left people trapped in their homes.

There are currently 35 flood warnings and 166 flood alerts in force across the UK, according to the Environment Agency.

Some regions could be hit with two weeks worth of rain in just an hour, officials have warned.

Furthermore, temperatures are set to plunge below freezing in some parts of the UK overnight.

Read more: UK weather warning: Torrential thunderstorms to shatter London heatwave

In a final blow, the tail end of Hurricane Lorenzo – the most powerful storm ever to make it this far east in the Atlantic – is then expected to hit Britain on Thursday.

Chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Suri , said: “There has been considerable uncertainty over the potential track of Lorenzo after it passes The Azores. However we are now increasingly confident the remnants of Lorenzo will move towards the UK, bringing a spell of wet and very windy weather to western parts on Thursday and Friday. 

“At the moment the strongest winds are expected in western Ireland, with a risk of coastal gales developing in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Thursday and Wales and south-west England on Friday.  Ex-Lorenzo will also bring spells of heavy rain to north-western parts of the UK through Thursday and Friday, particularly in Northern Ireland, western Scotland, central England and Wales. 

“Our advice is to pay close attention to the weather forecast over the next couple of days and to keep an eye out for any weather warnings that may be issued in your area.” 

Main image credit: Getty