South hit by floods after heavy rainfall
Listen to your BBC Local radio station for live updates across the region: Radio Solent, Radio Berkshire, Radio Oxford and Breakfast in Dorset.
Listen to your BBC Local radio station for live updates across the region: Radio Solent, Radio Berkshire, Radio Oxford and Breakfast in Dorset.
Live Reporting
Stephen Stafford, Curtis Lancaster, Dan Kerins and Toby Wadey
All times stated are UK
Nice weather for ducks (and geese)
At least some residents of Abingdon aren't too phased by the floodwaters...
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About 1,000 properties flooded in England
About 1,000 properties in England have been flooded as a result of the recent rainfall, according to the Environment Agency (EA).
Caroline Douglass, who oversees flood and coastal risk management for the EA, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the country is still dealing with the aftermath of Storm Henk, as well as heavy rains.
"We have woken up to a very wet situation across the country. On the River Trent in Nottingham, the peak is still passing through that area so we are keeping a watch on that."
The River Severn is still high and the River Avon is on the EA's watchlist, she adds.
"There is a lot of surface area water both on the roads and affecting railways, so we need people to be really careful and watch out for that.
"The ground is incredibly saturated. It is going to take quite a while to dry out."
Southampton roads reopen
Flooding on both Millbrook Road West and Paynes Road is subsiding, Southampton City Council says.
Millbrook Road West is now open again and Paynes Road is likely to be reopened soon.
Motorists had faced driving through the floodwater last night when the problems were at their peak.
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Bournemouth and Christchurch's afternoon of rain chaos
Emily Hudson
BBC Radio Solent, Hants and IoW political reporter
This morning there is no sign of chaos here on Castle Lane last night - it was like nothing i've seen in 25 years of living in this area.
There was flash flooding on roads, the A35 near Iford was particularly bad.
University Hospitals Dorset was diverting people arriving to another car park because of flooding in the main hospital car park.
Children being picked up from school were pushing through ankle-deep water.
It's back to normal now but the flood warning remains in place along River Stour, The next high tide is at 4pm - that's a key time for those in Christchurch living around the banks of the river at the harbour.
Highest rainfall recorded in Hampshire
The Environment Agency, which issues flood guidance for England, said ongoing impacts from this week's rainfall were likely across much of the country over the next five days.
The highest rainfall totals recorded on Thursday were 35.2mm in the village of Otterbourne in Hampshire, while between 20 and 30mm fell across much of southern England.
Climate stripes need new colour as world warms
While we may have seen heavy rain and flooding over the past 24 hours, global temperatures were so hot in 2023 that the latest climate stripes image needs a new shade.
The stripes show the change in average annual global temperatures since 1850, with red indicating hotter years and blue cooler ones against the average of the period 1971-2000.
Prof Ed Hawkins, from the University of Reading, has published the first updated image for the globe using the latest interim data for 2023 and said the darkest red from the current scale will not tell the full story.
On Tuesday, the Met Office confirmed 2023 as the hottest year on record for Wales and Northern Ireland and the second warmest on record for the UK as a whole, just behind 2022.
Cars stranded in 'thigh-high water' under motorway
Eight vehicles were stranded in water under a motorway on Thursday evening.
BBC Weather Watcher Yen Milne saw the stuck vehicles under the M27 near Fareham in Hampshire, saying "the road is like a river".
On X (formerly Twitter) Hampshire Specials posted: "A major flood under J10 M27 led to us having to deal with eight stranded vehicles stuck in thigh-high water."
Southampton road closures
A number of road closures are still in place in Southampton after it experienced some of the worst of last night's flooding.
New Forest flooding
"Brockenhurst under water."
SouthWestMax sent us these photos on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening.
He said: "No I did not drive through it! Trains stuck as railway underwater at Sway. Ground saturated from the other day and another afternoon of heavy rain today has left the water with nowhere to go but build up."
You can follow us on X here
Clean-up begins in Oxfordshire village
Bethan Nimmo
Political reporter, BBC Radio Oxford
Householders spent the night putting out sandbags and building makeshift flood barriers in Appleton, near Abingdon.
Oaksmere, which is the main road out of the village, was badly affected by rising water levels.
A Mercedes is now abandoned in the middle of the road after breaking down in the flood.
I was told by a resident the owner had only had it for two days before the incident.
He said that the driver went into the floodwater, which reached half way up the doors of the car.
I understand the driver got out safely.
The water is now receding here but has left plenty of mud and debris to clean up - and an expensive repair bill for the Mercedes owner.
Stranded vehicles helped by 4x4 driver
Our weather presenter Alexis Green was in the New Forest on Thursday evening when she met Kelly Penny.
Ms Penny had been asked by police if she could use her 4x4 vehicle to help tow three vehicles that were stranded in flood water on the A336 between Cadnam and Totton.
Fire service warns motorists about surface water
Drivers in Dorset have faced flooded roads in Sherborne.
Sherborne Fire Station said it crews tended to "multiple vehicles in water."
It has warned drivers not to attempt to drive through the flood water.
It said: "Surface water doesn’t appear very deep, but there can be unseen dips in the road which can catch drivers unaware."
Flooded roads on the island
Heavy rain also hit the Isle of Wight on Thursday.
Andrew Snart took this photo of cars driving through flood water on the A3020 through Sandford during the heavy rain.
New Forest calm after night of flooding
Tristan Pascoe
BBC Radio Solent political reporter
It's a clear morning here in Brockenhurst - bright and calm - very different to last night.
At the bottom of the high street is an abandoned taxi, an estate car that was left in the high waters.
A dog walker who lives nearby told me it had been the worst flooding she's seen in 13 years.
Elsewhere at Latchmoor on Sway Road, I saw three three vehicles abandoned an hour ago in the mud and sludge. They had clearly tried to get through floodwater.
And at Balmer Lawn the cricket pitch and square are completely under water.
The water is receding - but there is still some damage to be cleared up here.
Flooded streets and roads in Oxford
Drivers in Oxford face a lot of standing water on the drive to work this morning This video was taken earlier on Abingdon Road.
The A34 is also shut in both directions between Botley and Peartee because the road is flooded.
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Flooded station causes disruption
This picture shows why there is so much disruption on the trains this morning. It was taken overnight by Richard Garvie at Newbury Station.
Poole drivers take to pavement to avoid flooded road
Drivers in Poole were filmed taking to the pavement in Poole on Thursday evening.
Stuart McAllister said Magna Road was "completely impassable" and that "all surrounding roads flooded also".
Reduced service on GWR expected all day
GWR says its services are continuing to endure "significant levels of disruption".
"Flooding and a serious incident near Reading last night, which involved police taking control of the line, has left trains and crew in the wrong place," it says.
"We’re sorry for the disruption customers experienced.
"Short-notice cancellations and a reduced level of service on long-distance routes are expected throughout the day."
Disruption continues on South Western Railway
South Western Railway has warned passengers to expect some disruption to continue into Friday following yesterday's flooding.
Problems included a landslip on the South Western Main Line between Winchester and Micheldever.
SWR says it expects water levels to drop and most of the network to reopen.
There are still cancellations on services between Bournemouth and Southampton, although some trains are running, SWR said.
Environments Agency warns of saturated ground
The Environment Agency's executive flood director, Caroline Douglass, told BBC Breakfast more than 1,000 properties had been flooded this week in England, including hundreds overnight into Friday.
"We're a country that's wet and we always do get a lot of rainfall," Ms Douglass says.
"Over November and December, following Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran, the ground was incredibly saturated right across the country."
She says the saturated ground was "topped up" before Christmas and rainwater from this week had nowhere to go.
"In that situation we get more flooding and greater impacts than we've seen and probably in areas where people aren't used to it," she adds.