Motorists were left stranded on the M5 when the motorway became submerged in rainwater near Bristol, leaving commuters facing another day of travel misery.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for areas of the Midlands and the south of the country, which came into force at 6pm on Thursday and will last for 12 hours.
Yellow rain warnings were already in place for large parts of England and Wales and western parts of Northern Ireland.
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation has also forecast much of the south-east will see lightning, winds up to 50mph and even ‘isolated brief tornadoes’.
This includes much of East Anglia, the south-east Midlands and central southern England.
Areas affected by the amber warning – including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands – were struck by flash floods.
Forecasters warned the regions could see 30-40mm of rainfall within just three hours.
As of 9am, the Environment Agency had 66 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 120 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said northern and central parts of England and Wales had been hit the hardest, with rain expected to move further south overnight and into Friday morning.
He said: ‘There will continue to be localised flooding. A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks which means the ground is already saturated.
‘The amber warning is in place until 6am and the wider yellow warning will be lifted at 9am. We’re expecting it to then ease up and become a bit drier.
‘But rivers often take time to respond so we’re expecting disruption to continue in central and southern parts throughout the morning. Those planning to travel on Friday should factor this into their journey times.’
Recent flooding in areas including Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire have brought widespread travel disruption and damage to properties.
According to the Met Office warning, the weather could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and there is a ‘good chance’ some communities will be cut off due to floods.
Delays and cancellations to train and bus services and power cuts are also likely while footage shared on social media showed cars battling through partially submerged roads.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it was working with National Highways: South-West to rescue people stranded on the M5 in Gloucestershire after heavy rainfall flooded the motorway.
Tewkesbury Borough Council, in Gloucestershire, has been handing out sandbags to residents to help protect their homes against flooding.
The rain is expected to clear during Friday leaving conditions much colder on Saturday.
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