Rivers burst their banks and drivers were forced to abandon their cars as parts of Britain saw an entire month's rainfall in a single day.
Residents were evacuated from their homes, dozens of schools were closed, roads were blocked and rail services crippled.
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Nature's car wash: A driver hits a flooded stretch of road in Essex, one of the counties worst hit by yesterday's rain. Many motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles
A massive search was under way last night for the 17-year- old infantry soldier, who was crossing a beck with two fellow recruits while on a routine exercise when they were knocked off their feet by the sudden impact of the wave.
The three men, among 1,200 recruits undergoing a 24-week training programme, got into trouble as flash floods wrought havoc across much of the country.
They had linked arms to cross Risedale Beck near Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, as part of a march when the incident happened at 9am yesterday.
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Stranded motorists had to be rescued from cars after the heavy rains caused flash floods in country lanes around Ongar, Brentwood and Chelmsford
While his fellow recruits were pulled to safety, the teenager is believed to have disappeared beneath the water.
Within minutes an RAF helicopter was scrambled while men from the garrison, the police and fell rescue teams led the ground search. Last night, an Army
spokesman said: 'The three recruits had their arms linked as they crossed the beck, but they were hit by a sudden surge of water. Two of the soldiers were rescued and pulled to safety but one is still missing.'
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Search and rescue hunt for the missing soldier who fell into the river at Catterick
In the West Midlands, up to 100 factory workers were trapped by rising flood waters. Staff at the WH Smith and Sons toolmakers in Minworth were penned in by water levels 6ft high after the swollen River Tame burst its banks.
Fire crews rescued most of the employees by noon but a further 42 remained trapped upstairs in the building's restaurant waiting for the water to recede. Among them was Jean Owen, 36, who said: 'Water started to come in from everywhere. I've never seen anything like it. It was like a disaster movie.'
In Essex, motorists had to be rescued from their cars after flash floods left many roads submerged. Up to 3ft of water had to be pumped away from country lanes in Ongar, Brentwood and Chelmsford.
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The 17-year-old soldier is believed to have disappeared beneath the water, sparking a full-scale rescue operation
Firefighters battle to reduce the flood level in Essex
Russell Scott, 33, wades through the floodwaters with his one-year-old son, Nicholas, in Fyfield
Among the worst-hit areas was Edgbaston in Birmingham, which received more than 3.5in of rain in just 24 hours - more than its estimated average rainfall for June.
In South Yorkshire, the fire
service received up to 200 calls between midnight and 8am yesterday from residents worried about the rising water level in their homes.
A spokesman said: 'One caller just rang to say the water was now at the top step of his cellar.' A 14-year-old boy was rescued after he fell into a swollen river in Sheffield. Craig Stenton, 41, dashed to help the youngster after hearing his screams.
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A woman was stranded in her car as a Sky film crew looked on , unable to help. She was later rescued.
He said: 'I could see a kid swirling around in the water. I grabbed a clothes prop to try and hook him out but it was no use. I ran further along and saw he had got stuck on a branch so I waded in and dragged him out.'
South Yorkshire Police declared the flooding a major incident and called in all senior officers to coordinate operations. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency issued flood warnings for Norfolk, Suffolk, Yorkshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.
A spokesman said: 'We have had very, very heavy rainfall. It's not over yet and will be moving slowly northwards. We would remind people to be vigilant and to make sure they are aware of the threat of flooding.'
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Firefighters were called to deal with some roads in Essex which had become impassable
The weather also hit a number of sporting events. At Chester-le-Street, County Durham, where England's cricketers were due to take on the West Indies, play was abandoned.
In London, the covers went on at the Artois tennis championships at Queen's while the day's race meeting in York was called off. ¦ A Met Office forecaster said further rain is due over the weekend but nothing like the deluge seen in the last 48 hours. The forecast is:
Today: Heavy showers across much of the country. Worst affected areas include eastern parts of Wales, western England and the Midlands. Temperatures expected to be 18-19c (64-66f).
Tomorrow: Showers gradually petering out. A drier and warmer day with temperatures in the 20s.
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