Recent thunderstorms cause significant flooding across Kent
- Written by
Lauren Legate- Published
- June 19, 2025
Last week in Kent, storms caused flash flooding across the county leading to schools evacuating students, hospitals diverting patients and 21 people forced to move into temporary accommodation.
The Met Office had issued yellow rain and thunderstorm warnings in parts of the country – some of which remain in place for the far north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
East Kent Hospitals Trust said Buckland Hospital in Dover had been hit by flooding following overnight thunderstorms, urging people who want to use the Urgent Treatment Centre to go elsewhere and asked people with outpatient appointments not to visit over the weekend.
Claire Persall, chair of the trustees at The Duke Of York's Royal Military School in Gunston, shared that 120 sixth-form students had to be evacuated at around midnight after their dormitory was hit by "catastrophic" floods.
She said the pupils, some of whom have upcoming exams, had to pile their belongings on beds to protect them.
Dover District Council said it "worked tirelessly through the night... to manage the severe disruption caused by exceptional rainfall". It added it had opened a rest centre and was prioritising public safety, clean-up operations and recovery efforts.
Kent Police shut the A256 in Tilmanstone, where one driver was seen sitting on the roof of their car after getting stuck in flood water.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service said it responded to flooding incidents in East Kent, including flooded properties in Dover. Firefighters, alongside volunteers and partner agencies, cleared properties of flood water and assisted affected residents, the service added.
Similarly to the summer flash flooding in London in 2021, after an unusually long, warm, and dry spell across much of the UK, bouts of rainfall trigger flooding in areas that might typically be able to cope. While the country is no stranger to flooding, what’s striking about the current situation is how relatively modest amounts of rain are now having a disproportionately large impact.