AS THE sun blazed down on the village, few would have believed just hours later they would be mopping water out of schools and cafés.
But shortly after lunch yesterday the storm clouds gathered and the summer weather was replaced by a heavy deluge, which caused flash flooding across parts of East Yorkshire.
Cottingham bore the brunt of the downpour, where water was seen coming up from drains, leaving 1ft-deep pools.
However, the west Hull villages and western parts of the city, especially around Hessle Road, were also badly affected.
Cottingham High School saw its library, canteen, classrooms and offices flooded.
Assistant headteacher Jonathan Rogers said: "We had about 6in of standing water throughout the building.
"We had all the staff, from the caretaker to the headteacher, pull together to try to sweep away the water. It took us all by surprise as we were enjoying the sunshine in the morning.
"I joked about the toilet bubbling just as it started to rain but ten minutes later the whole ground floor was flooded.
"We kept the children in the classrooms as 20 members of staff tried to keep the water at bay."
The school was forced to cancel an event that was due to have taken place last night.
Mr Rogers said: "We had a performing arts showcase, involving 45 pupils, taking place at the school with lights and sounds.
"Unfortunately, we had to cancel it, despite our best efforts.
"We have the dehumidifiers and heaters going but we are still assessing the damage."
The school is closed to all pupils today.
CC Café in King Street, Cottingham, was also badly affected.
Trustee Giovanna Tones said: "When the downpour began, the water started coming through the back and the front. Within two minutes there was more than 2in on the floor.
"We are not sure what the extent of the damage is. We could reopen in a week or we could be closed for a month, it depends on the damage."
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said it received dozens of calls during yesterday afternoon as the rain fell.
A spokesman said: "We had 40 calls from around Cottingham about the flooding.
"It was a case of flash flooding with very heavy rain coming down in a very short space of time. It was mainly surface water flooding. There were two homes in King Street affected and we were also called out to water getting in at the library at Cottingham High School.
"There was also some flooding at Ainthorpe Primary but there was no need to evacuate either school."
Humberside Police urged motorists to take care in affected areas to avoid aquaplaning but there are no reports of road closures.
Traffic drew to a standstill in some areas where the standing water was particularly bad.
A weather warning remained in place for Hull and East Riding until 7pm but the rain stopped and the water began to subside by about 4.30pm.
The Met Office had earlier issued an alert for potential flash and surface flooding.
A spokesman said: "There were quite a lot of showers around the East Yorkshire area and they were heavy.
"This was classic thunderstorm weather, which is exactly what we would expect for this time of year."
Today is set to be mainly dry, with a few showers along the East Yorkshire coast.
