UK weather: Flood warnings remain as snow expected over parts of UK

Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts remain in force as emergency teams gear up for high water levels on the River Severn following the wettest February on record.

The Met Office also issued a yellow warning for snow over higher parts of Scotland from 3pm until midnight, with travel disruption likely.

An ice warning will be in force from midnight covering much of eastern and northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, the North West and North Wales, lasting until 10am on Monday.

Meanwhile, emergency teams have repaired damaged flood barriers in parts of the West Midlands to prepare for high water levels on the River Severn – which are expected to peak at between 5.4 and 5.7 metres on Monday afternoon, the Environment Agency said.

A total of 85 flood warnings are in place across England and Wales – mostly in the South West and along the English-Welsh border, and in Yorkshire – and a further 173 “flooding is possible” alerts are also in place.

In East Yorkshire, there have been no reported evacuations in deluged towns for the first night since the flooding started.

Water levels are dropping or remaining stable in Snaith, Gowdall, East Cowick and West Cowick, but are predicted to remain high for several days, according to East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Parts of Scotland and northern England experienced blustery showers, strong winds and snow on Sunday morning, with brighter, chilly conditions in southern parts.

Last month, a UK average of 202.1mm of rain fell, surpassing February 1990 when 193.4mm fell, the Met Office said.

Local authorities will be faced with significant clean-up operations once flooding risks subside and water levels reduce.

The heavy rainfall began with Storm Ciara and continued with Storm Dennis before Storm Jorge, contributing to record river levels.

It prompted hundreds of emergency staff to work on flood defences and pumps, clearing debris and repairing damaged defences across the country.

More than 3,300 properties in England are thought to have been flooded from the combined effects of storms Ciara and Dennis, according to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Welsh government minister Lesley Griffiths said local authorities in Wales confirmed more than 1,000 homes had flooded.

Some 15 rivers in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire recorded their highest levels on record.

The Environment Agency warned the UK needs to brace itself for “more frequent periods of extreme weather like this” because of climate change.

The government has said it is investing £2.6bn in flood defences by 2021.

(c) Sky News 2020: UK weather: Flood warnings remain as snow expected over parts of UK