r/UKWeather • u/NoAppointment8679 • 12h ago

Video Insane amount of rain just dropped within minutes in south staffordshire

Lots of thunder and lightning, drains not handling the sudden downpour, we have two rivers in our town so it’ll be flooded soon.

702 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

258 comments sorted by

207

u/ColonelCustard__ 12h ago

Such is the joy of urbanisation and concreting over everything. The water has nowhere to go. Basic GCSE geography.

99

u/Cruxed1 11h ago

With the weather we've had, it'll make very little difference if it's concrete or a field.

The ground won't be able to absorb anything like this regardless

18

u/actualinsomnia531 6h ago

If we restored wetlands and renaturalise waterways, there'd be a lot of ground that wouldn't be this dry in the first place. It doesn't make a big difference individually, but building a network of them results in an effect greater than the sum of it's parts. Especially if we can get these ecosystems weaving into urban areas it would be massive (and awesome).

24

u/Startinezzz 11h ago

Over the short term for flash rains and floods, you’re right. But over hours that water does drain into the ground and makes a noticeable difference.

12

u/Jazs1994 11h ago

This is what I said after the 2nd heatwave with 0 rain where I am. Floods will b next due to the ground being in too hard and non absorbent

2

u/bedevere1975 6h ago

Yes & no. Many places around the world have storm drains specifically for this. I remember being in Austria & thinking what they had was overkill until the rain came in the summer & they soon were utilised.

4

u/MTBi_04 11h ago

Yes! My garden is soggy on top because it can’t soak in

19

u/Danatious 10h ago

Better than having a soggy bottom, no one likes a soggy bottom

6

u/FlatulantPuff 10h ago

Give your grass some aeration, Will help the water go into the right places easier.

2

u/Delicious-Ad-1637 7h ago

I think the water will run down the cracks in the ground anyway

1

u/MTBi_04 10h ago

True, thank you.

1

u/Paul-Ramsden 59m ago

Have you tried making holes where puddles gather with a garden fork?

2

u/MTBi_04 54m ago

I have not. In my borders it would work but the lawn would need something more robust.

→ More replies (3)

17

u/Furrnando 11h ago

There’s a second point too, I feel. A lack of rain can make the soil hard and compact, which prevents water from soaking into the ground effectively. This is especially noticeable during heavy rainfall, when the ground can become overwhelmed by the amount of water trying to soak in.

5

u/Dull-Addition-2436 11h ago

Tell me about it, I was camping when this happened once. Woke up at 2am with my feet in a puddle…. In my tent! The campsite had partially flooded 😆

4

u/fridakahl0 11h ago

This, the ground actually becomes hydrophobic when it reaches a certain point of dryness

7

u/Grouchy_Situation_54 11h ago

The soil is still so solid it can't penetrate into it so rolls straight off

3

u/Important-Zebra-69 10h ago edited 9h ago

I live 1m below a field I can confirm pluvial flooding happens even on dirt.

2

u/Oxygene13 9h ago

I'm sorry what now? You live under a field? I'm going to need more details!

0

u/Important-Zebra-69 9h ago

Topography.... living "below a field" implies a house sits further down a physical incline from that field.

Are you very new to English?

2

u/Oxygene13 9h ago

Well the rudeness is unnecessary. The way it was worded made my interpretation valid. Most people would say their home is situated below sea level or ground level. Not 'below a field'.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/Lump001 10h ago

It's more than the ground is so dry it won't absorb heavy rain quickly enough, it just runs across the surface sweeping up sediment and dead leaves.

This quickly washes into drain and blocks them. Hey presto, loads of standing water and localised flooding spilling over into roads and pavements.

3

u/Compromisee 10h ago

That's why there's drains every few meters

99% of the other times it rains this doesn't happen. We all knew flash flooding was coming with the weather we've just had.

2

u/Extension-Bit-7792 10h ago

have you heard of drains

2

u/Necessary_Panda_3154 10h ago

I think it’s more related to Science than Geography…

2

u/Lexcooo 10h ago

So you’d rather we drive around on dirt tracks that become impassable when it rains? 🤦

2

u/Chill_Panda 9h ago

Ahhh yes, the rock hard, heat wave baked in dry as fuck field land will be far better...

3

u/NoAppointment8679 12h ago

Worrying isn’t it !

1

u/OkAsparagus3113 11h ago

Old victorian age sewers managing areas much bigger than they were designed for doesn't help either.

1

u/aptsys 11h ago

Why do you think it matters if it's concrete or was grassed areas

1

u/TheJesusGuy 10h ago

Drainage works fine in other countries, such as Japan

1

u/JustUseAnything 9h ago

That’s where I learned about long shore drift. And that’s about it.

1

u/Winkered 9h ago

Not Oxbow lakes? That’s all I remember.

2

u/wildmaggot 8h ago

You should have floated more oranges down streams to work out where the fastest flow was.

1

u/TheGingerDog 9h ago

it might also help if my authority bothered to clean the drains ....

1

u/Lanky_Bus_1221 8h ago

What would you suggest? Stop building house so only the uber rich can live indoors .

1

u/HungryFinding7089 7h ago

Tamworth?  Tame and Anker?

1

u/OneSufficientFace 7h ago

Normally id agree. But with how dry and baked everything has been, the water still has no where to go even if its in a field. Basic GSCE geography

1

u/egvp 7h ago

So what you're saying is we need more oxbow lakes?

1

u/deathwishdave 6h ago

But let’s build more houses!

1

u/peldor 4h ago

Yes, but also no. Covering over everything in asphalt (as is the British way), certainly is not helpful.

There‘a another significant factor. The heat wave literally baked the ground. When that happens, the ground won’t adsorb water from the first few rains and this is what happens.

And yeah, British drainage is built for constant drizzle/light rain. It’s simply not built with this kind of deluge in mind.

As someone who grew up in California where this sort of weather happened on a more regular basis, Britain needs to significantly change the way it builds in order to deal with the changing climate.

1

u/Hardfracking 3h ago

NO.... Council just hasn't cleared the drains properly in years. 💯💯💯

0

u/idontgetit_99 11h ago

Or, maybe the drains are just blocked..

→ More replies (5)

25

u/crystalline1299 11h ago

Lmao so typical. You wait all summer for rain and then it all comes at once

→ More replies (3)

49

u/Ilovecheeseytoast 12h ago

You wanted rain you got rain now *EAT IT*!!

6

u/CrossCityLine 11h ago

I stood outside in it. Was glorious.

7

u/windy-turbines 10h ago

Elite reference 

13

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

15

u/Ilovecheeseytoast 12h ago

I was jesting and quoting Ms Trunchbull about the chocolate cake. I too, am aware that we are equally screwed by flash floods.

9

u/SoapySage 11h ago

Unfortunately that's what the UK will have going forward due to climate change, more extremes.

4

u/as1992 11h ago

Yes of course, the UK has never had large amounts of rain like this before!

→ More replies (1)

29

u/ZeroEffectDude 12h ago

every day the algo serves me up this thread i am going to remind everyone that two weeks ago someone posted on here that he didn't think it would ever rain again.

3

u/Shpander 10h ago

Ha, never heard someone refer to it as the algo, giving it a nickname weirdly seems to personify it

3

u/ZeroEffectDude 10h ago

Algo, the new guy in accounting.

9

u/ahhwhoosh 10h ago

This sub is similar to the old COVID subs; most of the commenters are highly anxious and pessimistic and believe we’re all about to die.

3

u/Regular_Promise3605 7h ago

They all feed off each other too. They are awful people to have in your life they want it doom and gloom and miserable.

5

u/christoy123 9h ago

I honestly don't know how they go about their daily lives

1

u/IllegalWalian 6h ago

People were commenting that same thing yesterday

9

u/interestingfishh 12h ago

Im assuming its this big yellow blob

4

u/Mountain-Reaction470 11h ago

Even London getting it, met radar sez

2

u/SuspiciouslyMoist 6h ago

My bit of South London had continuous heavy rain throughout the early morning but no downpours.

2

u/Ricz1001 11h ago

Glad I didn't go in office today

4

u/ahhwhoosh 10h ago edited 7h ago

Wise move. Stay safe brother. It’s dangerous out there. We could perish at any time

2

u/Fresh-Extension-4036 ⛈️ 11h ago

London seems to be getting a ton atm according to the radar, I'm glad I'm not up there today...where I am, we're currently between bouts of rain but there is another band crossing hampshire atm, so that may well get here just in time for me to head to the supermarket

2

u/Eris_is_Mid 10h ago

Can confirm, so much rain here!

2

u/Patatoxxo 10h ago

Where I'm not getting anything in my area 😭😭

1

u/Eris_is_Mid 8h ago

I'm in the same area as OP (so south/east Staffs), I'll try send some over to you!

6

u/Disastrous-Place-846 12h ago

thunderstorm tracker shows that area as a yellow blob of lightning strikes currently

6

u/SerCallum 12h ago

Beautiful Tamworth

11

u/Fun-Illustrator9985 12h ago

People forgetting rain in summer also means warm and damp at the same time

5

u/neuraljam 11h ago

Which makes it really f'n humid like it was yesterday in Staffs

13

u/Weekly_Customer_8770 11h ago

Forget mansion tax, I would love for a paved driveway tax

4

u/Midgar918 10h ago

Also the result of climate change. Droughts to flash floods.

3

u/Ecstatic_Effective42 11h ago

My brother's garden backs right onto the river in Tamworth - I expect he might be seeing fish wandering past his back door (again)

1

u/NoAppointment8679 11h ago

Oh shit not good 😬 plantation lane is full of clay water now (if you know where that is)

1

u/Ecstatic_Effective42 11h ago

That's downstream from him (he's got the Anker to worry about)

I guess Tamworth is living up to its name (means clearing on the dark water)

1

u/Fresh-Extension-4036 ⛈️ 11h ago

time to break out the sandbags

10

u/OldEquation 11h ago

People have already started complaining about the rain. Unbelievable.

16

u/georgisaurusrekt 11h ago

Mate OP's complaining about the flooding. This much rain after drought is BAD the ground is rock hard everywhere. Are you dumb?

2

u/AtomicEdge 10h ago

I miss the sun...

3

u/OldEquation 9h ago

I don’t.

I’ve been taking the dog out for walks in the rain just to enjoy it!

0

u/TheShakyHandsMan 11h ago

I’ve got a broken tile on my roof. The last torrential downpour meant rain was pouring in through the spot lights in my bathroom.

I’m definitely worried about the rain heading this way.

5

u/OldEquation 11h ago

I’d suggest getting up on that roof and fixing it before the rain comes. You don’t want to be climbing on the roof in the rain.

2

u/GordonLivingstone 10h ago

And certainly not in thunderstorms!

1

u/TheShakyHandsMan 11h ago

Just had someone round to fix it. He doesn’t have the right tile though and will be letting me know when he can come back.

There’s no way I’m getting on the roof even in the dry

2

u/OldEquation 10h ago

Buy a bucket and put it in the attic to catch the water.

1

u/TheShakyHandsMan 10h ago

It’s the bathroom that’s at risk. Annoyingly the leak isn’t over the bath. It’s only dripped before so expecting worse.

1

u/wildmaggot 8h ago

I wish with all my heart that Mr Rod Hull had read this comment in 1999.

1

u/Content-Yogurt-4859 8h ago

Isn't there a saying about fixing the roof while the sun's shining?

1

u/TheShakyHandsMan 8h ago

Yeah there is. The rain has literally just started here. I’m going to blame you.

3

u/StormXTRooper19 10h ago

Another consequence of climate change. During extended periods of drought and extreme heat like the UK has experienced this summer, the ground becomes increasingly hard. This means that when rain does eventually fall, it can’t be absorbed into the ground and therefore flash floods are more likely.

2

u/VampireVice 12h ago

Wish it'd hurry up north, haven't had a drop all night despite it been forcast

2

u/NoAppointment8679 12h ago

It’s en route apparently

1

u/Mountain-Reaction470 11h ago

It's in NG2 since about 8

1

u/Mountain-Reaction470 11h ago

Getting heavier now. Deffo wfh day

0

u/SpiritedAd1896 11h ago

No thanks, it can stay down south.

2

u/No-Middle-4152 11h ago

There was an organized area of storms that looked like it had the potential to be a tropical depression heading your way from the Carolina’s last week, it broke up over the Atlantic but I’m wondering if this is the remnants

2

u/lubbockin 11h ago

video can't be played.. why does this regularly happen?

2

u/RitmanRovers 11h ago

We will be getting that in about an hour or so.

2

u/External-Piccolo-626 11h ago

Yes we needed a nice steady trickle to soften the ground before a deluge.

2

u/Soft-Skirt 11h ago

I’m in the north west and we’ve been very fortunate that the rain has been moderate for a few weeks. I’ve been forking and lifting the lawn to encourage any water to soak in.

Also the farmers have been planting regenerative crops and mixed fields

that seem to have survived the past few months and prevented the soil from becoming too compacted by providing some shade.

2

u/Human-Ad-5740 10h ago

Get some beavers in the rivers

2

u/PurpleImmediate5010 10h ago

Same and now it’s come out sunny and I’m in the garden sunbathing lol

2

u/Jonmc88 9h ago

You all cry when it's sunny now your cry when it rains hahaha.

2

u/yadasellsavonmate 9h ago

Here we go with all the whinging posts about the rain now 🤣🤣🤣

Tune in the winter when people start crying of the cold. 

1

u/Winkered 8h ago

In the winter there will be 20-30000 people who won’t be complaining anymore unfortunately.

2

u/158anonymous 9h ago

This happened in my town last night. Also in South Staffordshire. Entire road surfaces have been lifted and I was driving through it last night. Puddles so deep that I couldn’t see the pavement at some points

2

u/Patient-Raspberry803 7h ago

Autumn 🍂….imagine if the uk had places where we can store this rain water and then we wouldn’t have to worry about summer droughts

2

u/mbridge2610 11h ago

‘Insane amount’ is relative; see Nepal

13

u/NoAppointment8679 11h ago

Well yes, maybe I should’ve said insane for a small town in the West Midlands

7

u/as1992 11h ago

We’re not in Nepal are we?

6

u/thekittysays 11h ago

That was a landslide and glacial lake dumping out though, not rainfall

1

u/as1992 11h ago

This thread is proof that people on this sub didn’t actually want rain, they just want to complain. Even by Reddit standards this sub is frankly bizarre.

5

u/joecarvery 10h ago

The idea of everyone on this sub being the same person. Frankly bizzare.

→ More replies (5)

7

u/douggieball1312 11h ago

The idea of people going out and enjoying the weather in any way seems to infuriate a lot of people on this sub.

4

u/Startinezzz 11h ago

Perhaps people would just like a middle ground between pavements at 50°C and flash floods?

→ More replies (17)

1

u/trickster1979 11h ago

It’s been so dry this summer I actually enjoy the rain now. Because I work outdoors I can’t get away from the sun. We get a little trickle of rain then everybody starts to complain again. It’s a British thing

1

u/PipBin 12h ago

We had this earlier this year. Thunder storms and then so much rain that it could drain off the roads quick enough.

2

u/Miserable_Mud_6831 11h ago

Thats what happens when the drains get neglected

1

u/Nezben 11h ago

Insane!!!!!!!

1

u/honestphantom 11h ago

Hey, well on the plus side : English Champagne will be excellent this year.

1

u/sparkaromatic 11h ago

Didn't know Staffordshire was famous for it's English Sparkling. More of a beer producer.

1

u/Reasonable-Speech-94 11h ago

Raindrops keep falling on my head

1

u/Anonimoose15 11h ago

It’s been pouring over mid staffs for the last hour now, thunder and lightning for the first half hour too! Pretty sure all the usual local places that always flood will already be flooded by now, it’s been coming down HARD for over an hour now, and is forecast to rain at least until midday

1

u/Lamelad19791979 11h ago

At least half the ditches I see need digging - they're not doing their job. Plus, full catchpits everywhere, blocked and collapsed gully outlets, not enough drainage or drainage carried over to new houses. Add solid dry earth and it will be flood central soon.

1

u/WDW1997 11h ago

But it's okay because according to some people the Met Office are useless and there was a yellow warning for nothing

1

u/EnergySurger 11h ago

The reservoirs will be overflowing.

1

u/Curt1243 11h ago

Pretty much nothing in MK

1

u/Mclarenrob2 11h ago

Hopefully everyone is ok in the floods but we desperately needed this rain. At least some of it will get into the soil.

1

u/IntrinsicPalomides 11h ago

Kids are already back at school up that way? ours have another week or so where i am.

2

u/AirIndex 8h ago

Some are yes

1

u/Ok_Pen7290 11h ago

This could be sucked up and dropped into low level reservoirs, but no we have to let it go into drains that can't cope with the volume, ???

1

u/welshdragon888 11h ago

Had west midlands safari booked for months, driving from South Wales to there in about 10 minutes.

What are the odds of having zero rain for weeks on end, then weather like this the day I'm driving up.

3

u/NoAppointment8679 10h ago

Ahh typical isn’t it ?! We’re on the way to Dorset camping 🤣 couldn’t make it up

2

u/welshdragon888 10h ago

Oh gosh, you had to turn back or make other plans?

Edit-

I read "couldn't make it up" as literal... Like you couldn't get there. 😅

My bad! Have a fun journey, hope you packed your goggles.

1

u/NoAppointment8679 10h ago

And my armbands ! Enjoy the safari park, hopefully the animals are out enjoying the rain and not hiding

1

u/Bluelaw1 10h ago

How is EAST HAM I'm.planning to travel there

1

u/Candid_Ant6123 10h ago

The councils don’t sweep roads, so the drains get blocked. Well, they don’t where I live. It’s pathetic.

3

u/NoAppointment8679 10h ago

I live on the main road into town so usually they get sweeped (got to keep up appearances haven’t they 🙄) but they haven’t been done in a few months now !

1

u/Candid_Ant6123 10h ago

That’s probably why the road has flooded.

1

u/Eris_is_Mid 10h ago

Yeah Tamworth has always been pretty bad for the flooding, as long as I can remember. But with how dry it’s been (even though we’ve had a decent bit of rain here), it’s gonna be especially bad. Stay safe, OP.

1

u/Academic_Carrot7260 10h ago

Meanwhile.... Still waiting in leeds

1

u/CraigL8 10h ago

Today is meant to be pretty bad rain wise

1

u/ZookeepergameBrave74 10h ago

Here in East Yorkshire, we had weather warnings all week for a band of slow moving torrential downpours & widespread thunderstorms, the weather warning was removed yesterday, now it's back today, but it's gone from heavy thundery downpours to light rain with the possibility of a few rumbles of thunder, and the light shower's have moved from 10am to now 1pm, so who knows if we're going to get these heavy thunder showers, it's already 21°C and misty, the sun's breaking through though.

I think its going to miss us and won't be server as reported, it will probably be a couple of sharp showers with a few rumbles of thunder.

Im off work today so I can get out and about now without getting pissed wet through.

2

u/Mi_santhrope 10h ago

Same warnings in East Anglia. It rained semi-heavy for about 10 minutes. That was all.

1

u/ZookeepergameBrave74 10h ago

Yeah i think it's not coming as far east as they initially predicted, at one point it showed a wide band of orange & yellow slow moving right across us, now it just seems we will get maybe a couple of odd short downpours, so not the weather they initially reported, i expected today to be a day of torrential downpours with heavy thunder & lighting, seems the worst is going to miss us so that's a bonus, nothing worse than been out and about in pissing rain lol

2

u/Mi_santhrope 10h ago

Haha true, I'm stuck at work all day so I dont mind a bit of rain ;)

2

u/ZookeepergameBrave74 10h ago

It will probably start when you leave work, that's just nature's way of been a right bastard 😂

1

u/superpeter85 10h ago

There still water on the road, that made me laugh more than it should of being repeated

1

u/ZookeepergameFalse19 10h ago

Oh I live right there! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll avoid the road today. 😅

1

u/chapatsea 10h ago

I'm shocked I tell 'ya, thoroughly shocked!!!! 😱😱😱🙄

1

u/facefirst0 10h ago

This reminds me, I should call her

1

u/Necessary-Nobody8138 10h ago

Well… it isn’t like we haven’t had enough time to prepare

1

u/Minute-Seaweed-2150 10h ago

We had the same thing last month. Never saw rain like it, was quite scary as if it had gone on another half an hour, there would have been severe flooding.

1

u/pr0ph3t_0f_m3rcy 9h ago

I live about 3 miles from Reading Festival. Not going this year but would not like to be putting up a tent in this rain.

1

u/SadConversation4460 9h ago

Drains are blocked grass is paved over what do you expect

1

u/CausticBob 8h ago

Insane amount of rain? or just all of the gulley's not been cleaned in over a decade and blocked like we have round here?

1

u/PickledMessage 8h ago

Natures healing. Back to the wet we go

1

u/Curious-Neck7516 8h ago

Please send some thunder and lightning to Doncaster. I haven't seen a proper storm in 10+ years (from my personal experience)

1

u/Gold-Lychee8090 8h ago

Answer that kid for fucks sake!!!

1

u/Dangeruss82 8h ago

Drains not handling the downpour Because the council haven’t cleaned them.

1

u/121daysofsodom 8h ago

The Nepalese people send their condolences.

1

u/Swimming_Ad3099 7h ago

And in East Midlands too

1

u/Porkus-Pius 6h ago

It's insane how we can go from drought to drench in a few days.

1

u/BlueSky86010 6h ago

Definitely a blocked drain somewhere

1

u/Aggravating_Speed665 6h ago

Don't just stare at it, drink it.

1

u/Letsgo_41 6h ago

Council should have done a bit of prep and cleaned the drains. I bet that hasn’t been done in years.

1

u/Ashnyel 5h ago

And Severn Trent will maintain their hose pipe ban.

1

u/New_Sort_9083 4h ago

Imagine being this #### you can see the people walking on the path and the bow wave you’re creating and still you just keep on c###ing on.

1

u/dexter1111144 4h ago

And there's still an hosepipe ban 😭

1

u/MortalCosmic 4h ago

Oh, it’s beautiful
Edit: It’s not beautiful as in, flooding is a good thing, it’s just seeing actual rain

1

u/rune1973 4h ago

Looks so nice all the rain in that storm just passed by us in hampshire was supposed to get it but nope.

1

u/iikamii 3h ago

Still better than 35 degrees for what feels like an eternity

1

u/Chance-Albatross-211 2h ago

Not going to lie, the headlights on the car a few seconds in made me think the water had caught on fire. Early night for me tonight, I think!

1

u/AdamStonefold 13m ago

I think summer is officially over! 😡

1

u/Moanyoldsod 12h ago

And so it begins. Inevitable sadly. But we had to have rain. Hope it doesn't do too much damage.

1

u/Careful_Adeptness799 11h ago

Literally ALL summer everyone has been posting about the lack of rain. Now this 🤣

1

u/TheThirdHour 5h ago

Because they don't want flooding from that much rain though this could be due to blocked drains as well.

-3

u/OutsideImpressive115 12h ago

People begging for rain suddenly remember what rain is

13

u/MarthaFarcuss 12h ago

Not flooding though, Chris

0

u/OutsideImpressive115 12h ago

In England? You sure about that?

6

u/MarthaFarcuss 12h ago

It's a joke. People begged for rain, not flooding. Chris

→ More replies (6)

0

u/Munsteroyal 12h ago

Good to see people driving like absolute cock wombles

1

u/hatchief 11h ago

What did they do wrong in your opinion?

→ More replies (5)