Storm overflows spike to 347 across England & Wales as Thursday deluge hits Birmingham

Wayne's monitoring instruments logged 347 storm overflows discharging across England and Wales, more than sixteen times the normal figure of 21 for this hour, as heavy rain and thunderstorms swept the two nations, according to the trigger reading and weather reporting gathered today. The spike in overflow activity lines up with on-the-ground flooding reported in Birmingham, where West Midlands Fire Service confirmed it had been called to "significant flooding" after a flood warning was issued for the Perry Barr area overnight due to rising river levels, according to [1]. Crews worked alongside West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council, and the service urged people to "avoid the area, where possible," while the council separately advised against walking, cycling or driving through flood water, according to [1]. The fire service said it was responding to incidents around Curbar Road, Thornbridge Avenue and Haddon Road, according to [1]. The flooding came as two yellow thunderstorm warnings were in force: one for London and the South East until 8am Thursday, and a second covering Wales and much of England from 5am to 10pm, according to [1]. The Environment Agency had issued 22 flood alerts across the Midlands and South East, according to [1]. Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said some areas could see more than 75mm of rain in 12 hours, with the South East warning area facing 30-40mm and hail of 1-2cm, according to [1]. Temperatures were still running warm, with highs of 27-28C forecast for Thursday before cooling to the low-to-mid 20s over the following days, according to [1]. Storm overflows are designed to discharge excess combined sewage and rainwater during heavy downpours to prevent sewers backing up into homes and streets, so a sharp rise during a day of intense, thundery rainfall covering most of England and Wales is consistent with the weather conditions described in the reporting. The material here does not, however, break down the 347 figure by region, operator or duration, nor does it specify which rivers or watercourses were affected beyond the Perry Barr area — so the link between the instrument reading and the Birmingham flooding specifically is plausible but not itemised in the sources to hand. The wet spell followed an unusually dry and hot summer: the Met Office had previously said the UK was on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves, with drought declared across nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales, according to [1]. A separate Met Office regional forecast for Wales points to a continuing changeable, often wet pattern through the following fortnight, with above-average rainfall likely in the west and northwest, according to [2]. What to watch next: whether the overflow count falls back toward the 21 baseline as the rain clears on Thursday evening, and whether the Environment Agency upgrades any of its 22 flood alerts to full warnings.