Where are the floods?
In West Sussex, the A27 between Emsworth and Chichester was closed in both directions after heavy rain, leaving up to 20 cars trapped in the floodwaters, according to the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
The agency posted on Twitter: “Police on scene and the road is closed in both directions. We are on hand with specialist equipment to get people to safety. AVOID AREA and only travel if necessary.”
Some rail lines were affected on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, with disruption between Tonbridge and Hasting caused by flooding in a tunnel at Wadhurst in East Sussex.
National Rail said it had rectified a tunnel malfunction with a blown fuse and a melted piece of signaling equipment, with disruption on the line until at least 6am.
Flooding between Lewes and Brighton stations is also causing disruptions expected until 9am, including cancellations and delays.
On the Isle of Wight, flooding has led to the cancellation of trains on the Island Line until 09:00.
And motorists were warned by travel service Romanse of “severe delays” around the A27 and A3M near Havant, Hampshire, due to flooding caused by the rain.
Police in Winchester, Hampshire, have also reported a large tree coming down and blocking a road in Swanmore.
Road and train commuters were delayed by flooding with 26 flood warnings in effect across England this morning.
Motorways and rail lines have been blocked by heavy rain after the Environment Agency predicted flooding in the south and east of the country.
The train delays come amid an ongoing disruption between Peterborough and Leicester after a vehicle hit a low rail bridge at Melton Mowbray on Tuesday.
Flooding has closed the M23 southbound between junctions 10 and 11, as well as the A27 near the A259 junction, National Highways said.
Traffic accidents have caused lane closures this morning on the M62 between junctions 26 and 25 and the A63 between the A15/A1105 and the A1034 in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The Environment Agency’s flood warnings urge residents to take action as flooding is “expected”.
It advises moving vehicles to higher ground, moving valuables, family and pets to safety, and shutting off gas, electricity and water supplies where safe to do so.
Three flood warnings and 43 flood warnings
Meanwhile, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Environment Agency had issued three flood warnings and 43 flood warnings, mainly on the south coast.
The Met Office’s first weather warning began at 5pm and covered a southeastern area stretching from Southampton and the Isle of Wight in Hampshire to the coast in Kent, until 6am on Thursday.
Forecasters warned roads, homes and businesses could be flooded and transportation services disrupted.
Another yellow rain warning then came into effect across much of the UK throughout the whole of Thursday, from 00:00 to 23:59.
This covers an area stretching from Birmingham, Lincoln and Hull to North Wales, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as the east coast up to the Scottish border.
The rain carries a slim chance of flooding homes and businesses, temporarily cutting communities off with flooded roads and disruptions to transportation, the Met Office warns.
A third warning will come into effect from 3pm Thursday to 6pm Friday for the east coast of Scotland stretching from the English border beyond Aberdeen with similar risks of flooding and transport interruptions.
A yellow weather warning was also issued on Thursday for fog in parts of Northern Ireland from 4:40am to 10am.
Rain and wind together create ‘horrible’ conditions
Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said: “The warning areas are where we are most concerned about the risk of flooding, but that doesn’t mean the areas beyond won’t see some pretty horrific conditions.”
Mr Snell said there is a warning for the South East as “it has been quite wet there since the beginning of November and many places are already receiving more than their monthly share of rain”.