A man has died after being swept out to sea in Kent as heavy rain, winds and “unseasonably cold” weather hit parts of the UK.
Two other men were taken to hospital after being washed from East Pier in Ramsgate by a large wave, police said.
A yellow warning for heavy rain and strong winds remains in place for southern and eastern parts of England for the whole of Monday.
Forecasters said some areas could see more than a month’s rainfall in a day.
Some trains in the south-east of England were cancelled and roads have been blocked by fallen trees.
The RNLI, whose crews were called to help the three men at Royal Harbour in Ramsgate, called the conditions “atrocious”.
They said they rescued two men from the water but one was pronounced dead at the scene. The third man had been knocked over on the harbour wall by the wave and has been airlifted to hospital.
Image copyrightREBECCA DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY
Also in Kent, firefighters rescued two adults and a baby from a car which was stuck in flood water in Sutton Valence, while another man in Herne Bay was trapped when a tree fell on his car.
Meanwhile, two flood warnings – which means flooding is expected – remain in place along the River Nene, east of Peterborough, and on the coast in North Shields in north-east England.
Flood warnings and alerts, issued by the Environment Agency, are in force across England and staff are maintaining defences at at-risk spots.
By 07:00 BST, Kent had seen more than 20mm of rain in 24 hours – nearly half of the monthly average for this time of year – and gusts of 50mph have been recorded.
Trains and flights disrupted
Some services on Southeastern Railway were cancelled and others diverted because of flooding and a tree blocking the line at Charing in Kent.
Southern Rail faced disruption because of speed restrictions due to the weather and a fallen tree, while a tree hanging over the line between Woking and Weybridge also affected some South Western Railway services.
Several flights leaving London City Airport have been delayed. A spokesman for the airport said air traffic control restricted the number of flights that can take off and land because of the poor weather conditions.
Image copyrightPA
UK Power Networks, which covers part of the south-east of England, said although there are outages it was a “normal day” with no widespread problems due to the weather.
The wet and windy weather is the result of an area of low pressure moving northwards overnight on Sunday.
It will feel “unseasonably cold” for the time of year, the BBC Weather Centre said, with maximum temperatures about 6 to 7C in these areas, but feeling much colder under the rain and wind.
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High ground – like the Chilterns and the Cotswolds – could even see sleet and snow, although it will not settle.
County cricketers playing at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire wore woolly hats to keep warm.
On social media, people shared photos and videos of flooded roads and large waves in coastal areas.
Simon Jones✔@SimonJonesNews
Not nice on the roads near Canterbury.
