Freak summer storms batter Britain
Diana fountain floods on Day One
LONDON, England -- Freak weather hit parts of Britain for a second day Thursday, after one of the worst summer storms on record caused flood chaos and brought down power lines.
More than 100,000 homes were left without power as trees blew down in the deluge. The newly-opened Princess Diana memorial fountain in Hyde Park flooded and high-profile summer events had to be canceled.
Forecasters, describing Wednesday's storm as a "July shocker," predicted more heavy rain and strong winds, with temperatures dropping as low as 14 C (57.2 Fahrenheit).
"The bad weather is not going away just yet," a Met Office spokesman told Reuters. "The worst will be in the north, where we expect some gusty winds but there is also more heavy rain moving through the southwest of England."
Falling trees, their summer canopies of leaves catching the full force of the wind, brought down power lines and left 135,000 homes in southern and eastern England without power overnight, electricity suppliers said.
More than 40,000 households were still without power on Thursday after storms packed winds of up to 60 mph and dumped as much as 70 mm (2.75 inches) of rain in some areas.
Winds were expected to reach similar strength again in coastal areas, in particular across the southwest and northeast of England.
The Hampton Court Flower Show -- one of Britain's biggest garden events running for a week -- was foced to close Wednesday afternoon because of high winds. Nearby Kew Gardens was also closed, falling branches deemed a danger to the public.
There were of 91 incidents of blockages on Britain's railway lines, Network Rail told the UK's Press Association. There were a number of delays to trains, particularly in the south.
In Cornwall two people on board a yacht were rescued after extreme weather conditions at sea drove them off-course.
A lifeboat spent all night towing the 31 foot yacht Gellie to shore against Force 10 winds after it ran into difficulties 30 miles off the Lizard.
In London, engineers were working to clear the Princess Diana memorial fountain of leaves after it flooded a day after it was opened. High winds brought down leaves which blocked grilles in the fountain causing a flood in the park 50 feet wide and a foot deep.
Royal Parks officials said they forseen the need to clear the fountain of leaves, but not until the fall.
The English National Opera was forced to scrap plans to stage an outdoor performance Wednesday in London's Trafalgar Square.
The performance of La Boheme, which would have been the first full open-air opera at the site, was scrapped with only two hours' notice.
Some cross-Channel ferry services were cancelled because of high winds while other services were delayed, but ferry operator P&O said services were back on track on Thursday.
"This weather is certainly unseasonal for July, with the combination of strong winds, heavy rain and depressed temperatures making it feel more like November," a Met office spokesman told Reuters.
More normal conditions were expected by the weekend.
