This is the moment train platforms at Piccadilly Station were left submerged in water after Manchester was battered by torrential rain and thunderstorms.
The station was hit by flooding on Sunday evening (June 11) following the storm, which hit parts of the region ‘in the blink of an eye’ and put an abrupt end to a 23-day dry spell.
Footage sent to the M.E.N shows rain water gushing down the steps to platforms seven and eight, with huge puddles forming at the base.
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The station’s manager said the flooding has been caused by the volume of rain water in such a short space of time, which in turn led to the rooftop drain systems being overwhelmed.
Scott Green, Manchester Piccadilly station manager, said: “We’re sorry to passengers impacted by localised flooding at Manchester Piccadilly station during a torrential thunderstorm on Sunday evening.
“The volume of rainwater which fell in such a short space of time led to rooftop drainage systems being overwhelmed. Station staff quickly cordoned off a staircase affected so people were safe while the water drained away.
“Fortunately, only minor damage was caused and there was no disruption to train services. Our engineers are now looking to find a solution to reduce the likelihood of it happening again.”
Sunday evening was the first time the region had seen any rain in nearly a month, with temperatures reaching as high as 30C before the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across the north west.
Many parts of Manchester were suddenly hit by the torrential downpours that caused roads to flood and even left some people trapped in their cars after they became submerged under a railway bridge.
Festival-goers at Parklife were also hindered after the sky clouded over and performances were temporarily stopped due to fears over lightning strikes.
People took to social media after the storm hit, with some claiming their houses even ‘shook’ amid the loud claps of thunder that were likened to a ‘firework’.
Rain stops play at Parklife festival (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
@_elynnor tweeted: “Electrics off at the mains and house shaking from thunder. Manchester, never change” as @JamesHarvey87 posted: “I’m not far from Manchester……just jumped out of my skin at the last bit of thunder, shook the house!”
@mancsies wrote: “That is some nasty thunder and lightning in Manchester right now” and @iamlucielu added: “Manchester went from hottest day of the year to thunder, lightning and rain in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, there’s an outdoor festival in progress a few miles away where people are probably sunburned and wet.”
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms was put in place from midday on Sunday until 9pm, covering the whole of Greater Manchester and the rest of the north west. A new weather warning has now been issued for the start of next week too, with the possibility of heavy rain hitting Greater Manchester again today (June 12).
