London - Severe storms and snowfalls hit parts of Britain Tuesday, sparking a number of flood alerts and leaving thousands of homes without power.

A band of heavy rain swept through southern Britain, accompanied by strong winds coming in from the Atlantic, which earlier hit parts of France.

Meanwhile, heavy snow has been falling in the British Midlands, Wales and Gloucestershire, where 3,000 homes have been left without electricity.

Bristol Airport in south-west Britain was closed overnight due to deteriorating weather conditions and snowfall, but reopened early Tuesday.

In the southern county of Somerset, fire crews rescued some 20 people from their cars stuck in flood water.