Weather: batten down the hatches, we're in for a 'European monsoon' On Thursday night forecasters warned the severe weather would sweep much of Britain over the next 24 hours. Ruth Steele, a Met Office forecaster, said: "It is going to be pretty miserable." She added that the conditions would ease on Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday. The Met Office warned force 10 gales could whip up 40 foot waves at sea while tidal surges and flooding in low-lying coastal areas is also expected. Officials raised concerns homes could be flooded as high tide lifted to dangerous levels and combined with millions of tons of rainwater washing down from Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor. Fred Caygill, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said families venturing on to beaches should take extra care because the gales would whip up huge waves and wash over rocks and jetties. On Thursday, the "very unsettled" conditions brought misery for thousands of families currently on holiday during the midterm break, with many taking an extended break due to the four-day bank holiday celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Residents throughout Cornwall were warned to stay indoors as the strong winds brought down heavy tree branches and heavy rain caused drains to overflow. The gales and driving rain also brought power cables down in Lanner, near Redruth. Peter Evans, 54, from Jersey, was rescued after getting into trouble on his 22 foot yacht Federwolke in a force nine gale 40 miles from The Lizard Peninsula, off the Cornish coast. The Duchess of Cornwall, fresh from her Jubilee duties, braved the poor conditions as she toured the annual Royal Cornwall agricultural show in Wadebridge. The sheep section had to be closed and some judging moved inside. Forecasters warned that Britain is set to face deluge of rain over the coming weeks as first month of summer is set to be a washout. The Met Office warned the wintry conditions may last until the end of the month, threatening major events including Wimbledon and the Henley Rowing regatta. The only good news is that millions of households are to have hosepipe bans lifted before the end of summer because two months of rain have returned rivers and reservoirs to normal levels.