LONDON — Torrential rain pelted a large swath of Britain on Friday, flooding roads, canceling concerts, and turning practice for the British Grand Prix into a puddle-churning ordeal.
Authorities issued almost 200 flood alerts or warnings across the country.
The Meteorological Office, the national weather agency, said downpours were likely from southwestern England all the way up north to Glasgow in Scotland and across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland.
Britain is even more prone to flooding than usual following the wettest June on record, and the Environment Agency, which issued the alerts and warnings, said, ‘‘The risk of flooding over the next few days is expected to be the highest of the year so far.’’
Met Office forecaster Tony Waters said some places could see up to 4 inches of rain Friday — far more than the 2.4 inches that usually falls during the entire month of July.
Flooding was reported Friday in northern England, where six people were rescued.
ASSOCIATED PRESS