UK weather forecast: Over 100 flood warnings issued today as MONTH’S worth of rain falls
MORE than 100 flood warnings have been issued across the UK as Brit’s prepare for a month’s worth of rain to fall today.
Weather forecasters extended rain warnings up and down the country for the rest of the week with the UK facing its worst flooding in 200 years.
The Environment Agency (EA) said there were 106 flood warnings in place for England today, including six “danger to life” warnings in communities near the Welsh border.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings across parts of southern Scotland and Strathclyde, northwestern England and Wales as the EA warned “we are in uncharted territory”.
Rain fell heavily across northern and western parts of Britain overnight and it is likely to continue until about 3pm.
The village of Capel Curig in north Wales received 54mm of rain in 24 hours, compared to an average of 97mm of rain for the whole of February.
Cumbria’s Shap, which recorded 120mm across February 2019, saw 52mm fall before day broke on Thursday.
‘TRICKY CONDITIONS’
Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson warned:”There could be some pretty tricky conditions on the roads, make sure you give yourself a bit more time with travel because there’s some fairly heavy rain around.
“The rain will clear through the west in the afternoon then through the southeast later.”
The West Coast Main Line – a major rail route connecting England and Scotland – is closed between Carlisle and Lancaster following recent downpours.
Services run by Avanti West Coast from London Euston to Glasgow and Edinburgh via Birmingham are affected, as well as trains operated by Northern and TransPennine Express.
Several train lines in Wales also remain closed due to flooding.
More weather warnings are likely on Friday with heavy rain expected across western Scotland, Yorkshire and parts of Cumbria.
Gusty winds are also expected to strengthen at the end of the working week.
Sodden Brits have now been urged to flee their homes after warnings of six more days of downpours.
The EA reported England has already received 141% of its average February rainfall so far this month, adding that river levels in the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg, and Derwent all set new records in recent days.
HIGH ALERT
This morning, a woman was rescued by 20 firefighters after clinging onto a tree branch over a flooded river.
The woman fell into the river in the early hours of this morning when she had gone to look at the fast-flowing River Usk in Brecon, Mid-Wales, at 3am.
Meanwhile, fundraising efforts have continued for those affected by the floods.
Yesterday, Good Omens actor Michael Sheen launched a campaign to raise money for affected communities in Wales, raising half of its £10,000 goal within the first five hours.
Rescuers pulled OAPs from care homes and ferried stranded residents to safety on inflatable boats in Wales and northern England.
The River Severn surged through Ironbridge, Shrops, at a rate of 470tons of water per second.
Locals erected flood barriers in an attempt to protect historic buildings and properties from the water.
Around 30 locals took refuge in a cocktail bar after fleeing their homes.
At Hereford, the Wye reached 20ft, the highest since records began 200 years ago.
And Caban Coch Dam in mid-Wales resembled a waterfall as a torrent cascaded over the top.
It comes after five people died in flooding and rough seas as Storm Dennis rampaged through the country.
Yvonne Booth, 55, was swept into floodwater near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, on Sunday as the number of flood warnings hit an all-time record.
And as the Environment Agency issued more than 400 flood alerts and warnings in the wake of the weekend’s storm, it’s chief has warned the devastation is “not yet over”.
Sir James Bevan said: “Something has changed. The climate emergency is driving more violent weather, higher seas and heavier rainfall. We need an approach.”
Communities across the country are counting the cost of the weekend’s storm, which has left hundreds of properties flooded.
People have been driven out of their devastated homes, as a care home in Whitchurch was yesterday “overcome by flooding” and the town of Ironbridge was evacuated.
York has 4,000 sandbags placed around the city to try and combat the rising river, with residents being told the country is “not out of the woods yet”.
Terrifying footage showed cars submerged over the weekend while landslides hit areas around South Wales.
One stranded family was rescued by climbing through a window of their home into the bucket of a farmer’s tractor.
And in Cardiff, staff at a care company watched as the contents of their flooded office was loaded into a tipper lorry and taken to the dump.
The River Wye reached its highest levels on record on Monday, peaking at more than six metres, with the EA describing levels as “exceptional”.
And yesterday the River Trent peaked today at just below four metres – breaking another record.
Severe flood warnings have been issued for the River Severn at Upton upon Severn and Uckinghall, the River Wye at Hereford and Hampton Bishop, the River Trent at Burton upon Trent and the River Lugg at Hampton Bishop.
As temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more water so downpours are more intense – 7 per cent more for every degree celsius temperature increase – so flooding will increase. We are currently in a national emergency.
Angela Terry
In Wales, there are two severe warnings in place on the River Wye at Monmouth – where homes have been evacuated and people have been urged to limit water use due to the flooding.
Boris Johnson has faced calls to chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee Cobra to tackle the flooding crisis.
Superintendent Sue Thomas, the Local Policing Commander for Herefordshire and head of the emergency flooding response team, said: “We still very much in an emergency phase.
“Whilst the rivers going through Hereford city have gone down significantly, we are still concerned about the River Lugg and River Wye towards Symonds Yat so there’s still a lot to do.”
Flood resilience expert warns people to protect mental health over homes
As hundreds of homes are evacuated amid severe flood warnings, a flood resilience expert from Kingston University is warning people facing imminent floods to protect their mental health as well as their property.
Dr Tim Harries, senior research fellow at Kingston Business School, said: “It’s extremely stressful to stay in your home and watch the water come rushing in, so you should do what you can to protect your home and move possessions out of reach of the water – but then get out.
“You should prioritise the most precious items – those with emotional value that cannot be replaced, such as photo albums or a child’s favourite teddy bear.”
Paul Mason, group manager of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the scene his team had faced over the weekend was the worst he had experienced in his 31-year career.
He said: “This weather is unprecedented We haven’t seen this, it’s incredible, and it’s right throughout the South Wales Valleys.
“In my 31 years in the service this is the worst I’ve ever seen. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
And as Brits try to recover from the flooding danger, there are already fears that another storm – Storm Ellen – is brewing.
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MOST READ IN NEWS
Met Office meteorologist Bonnie Diamond told the Sun Online: “The good news is that Storm Dennis has cleared away.
“However, just because it has stopped raining doesn’t mean the floods will recede immediately and we will still have to cope with the amount of rain that fell over the weekend.”
DPD delivery van marooned in flood water caused by Storm Dennis in Fordingbridge, Hants