Flash flooding in Watford after town hit by thunderstorm

There were reports of flash flooding in some parts of the town and surrounding areas after rain began lashing down at around 5pm (June 30).

Some major roads were left covered in huge puddles, with Hertfordshire Highways warning of flash flooding near the Hartspring Roundabout in Bushey.

DELAYS: A41 N Western Ave and #M1 J5 Berrygrove Rbt, #Watford - LONG DELAYS on A41 Southbound towards Hartspring Rbt due to flash flooding nearby. #avoidtheQ pic.twitter.com/w3wfkPFGUA

— HCC Highways (@Herts_Highways) June 30, 2022

A large spray of water in Rickmansworth Road in Watford. Credit: Tim Constable

Meanwhile, train operator London Northwestern said a temporarily speed restriction was brought in on the railway between Bushey and Kings Langley due to the heavy rain.

📢 Problems reported
🚧 Delays to services between Bushey and Kings Langley: Due to a speed restriction because of heavy rain between Bushey and Kings Langley:

ℹ https://t.co/Yw8dhV7455

— London Northwestern Railway (@LNRailway) June 30, 2022

John Bowe, a Watford man who regularly tweets weather updates for the town, said that 11.2mm of rain fell and said that 36 lightning strikes were recorded, with the temperature dropping around 4C.

Sunny spells, then cloudy, then rain and a thunderstorm. We had 11.2mm of rain in #Watford and 36 lightning strikes locally, max rain rate 23.2 mm/h. Tonight, clear skies, 11°C.

Friday 1st July, sunny spells, quite cloudy at times, showers possible, warm but breezy.

Evening 😀. pic.twitter.com/o7XnXhPgEO

— John Bowe 🇺🇦 (@WatfordWeather) June 30, 2022

Looking ahead, some showers are forecast over the weekend but it should be mainly dry with temperatures of around 20C.