Keir Starmer‘s first day as prime minister was met with miserable weather as rain swept across the UK lashing Henley Regatta, Wimbledon and other usually summery events with heavy showers.
Nearly an inch of rain fell in an hour in London on Friday afternoon sparking travel chaos across the capital.
Golders Green tube station in north London was forced to close just before rush hour due to flooding, TfL announced on social media.
And more wet weather is on the way this weekend with the Met Office predicting everyone will see rain at some point.
A yellow weather warning for rain is also in place across parts of Scotland from 10pm on Friday night until 10am on Saturday morning.
The Met Office has warned the heavy rain may cause some disruption to travel as it sweeps across the north of the country.
WIMBLEDON: Fans at SW19 were spotted in waterproof ponchos and umbrellas as they scrabbled to find places to let their hoods down
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: A woman walking through the heavy rain at the start of the fourth day of Day 4 Henley Royal Regatta
WIMBLEDON: Play was delayed on day five of the famous Tennis championship in west London following torrential showers in the area
WIMBLEDON: Punters stocking up on official Wimbledon umbrellas, which cost £55, while the smaller versions are priced at £24
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: Crowds of regatta goers made their way to the fourth day of the event as it began to rain
WIMBLEDON: Courts at the Championships are covered during a rain delay on Friday
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: People arrive in their finery on the fourth day of the event along the River Thames in the rain
WIMBLEDON: Supporters with umbrellas gather on Henman Hill on Friday
WIMBELDON: Staff at the famous tennis club attempt to keep water of the court despite the torrential downpours
WIMBLEDON: According to the Met Office, the rest of the weekend appears to be a mixture of sunshine and showers
Earlier on Friday, fans at SW19 and guests at Henley Royal Regatta were pictured in waterproof ponchos and clutching umbrellas in torrential rain.
The start time for Friday’s matches was initially delayed until 12.15pm and was later pushed back even further to 1pm.
Rain has caused persistent delays to play on the outside courts at this year’s Championships with Wednesday’s schedule affected as well.
Shoppers in London were also caught in the downpours on Friday and fans braved the rain to watch Welsh Singer Katherine Jenkins perform in Hyde Park for the largest classical music concert in a century.
People lined the stands in raincoats, ponchos and umbrellas as London was battered by persistent rain on Friday evening.
Tonight, the rain is expected to turn heavy across southern England and Wales, pushing eastwards overnight, according to the Met Office forecast.
In the northwest, heavy showers will turn the area chilly under clearer skies.
Overnight, the heavy rain is predicted to move from southwest England towards central and eastern parts – producing plenty of wet roads and spray.
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: People in the heavy rain at the start of the fourth day at the Regatta
Some of this weekend’s showers will be heavy at times with the risk of hail and thunder, especially in Northern Scotland, which has been placed under a yellow warning for heavy rain
HYDE PARK: Fans brave the wet weather to watch Katherine Jenkins perform
NORTH LONDON: Members of the public shelter under umbrellas in north London
HYDE PARK: Fans wearing ponchos and holding umbrellas watch Katherine Jenkins in Hyde Park
NORTH LONDON: A woman covers her head with a coat in north London
HYDE PARK: Fans brave the wet weather to watch Katherine Jenkins perform
NORTH LONDON: A man covers his head with a newspaper in north London
NORTH LONDON: Shoppers were caught in the rain in London on Friday
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: People in the heavy rain at the start of the fourth day of the regatta
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: People in the heavy rain at the start of the fourth day of the regatta
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: Punters hold an umbrella in the rain at Henley Royal Regatta on Friday
HYDE PARK: Fans brave the wet weather to watch Katherine Jenkins perform
HENLEY-ON-THAMES: People in the heavy rain at the start of the fourth day of the regatta
Further heavy showers will also affect parts of northern and western Wales and northeast Scotland – which has been placed under a Yellow National Severe Weather Warning from 10pm Friday until 10am on Saturday morning.
This means flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible, while journey times for motorists and public transport users will be increased due to water pooling on roads and train tracks.
Frank Saunders is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office. He said: ‘An area of heavy and quite persistent rain will develop across parts of north and northeast Scotland later on Friday evening. This will continue overnight before turning showery on Saturday morning.
‘It is possible that 20-30mm of rain is likely to fall quite widely in around 12 hours, but there could even be up to 50 mm in a few areas.’
