UK weather: More than 250 flood warnings and alerts issued after more heavy rain
Written by News on 15/11/2019
Almost 150 flood warnings remain in place across the UK following more downpours overnight.
The Met Office’s UK forecast for Friday morning is for “rain at times, but not as heavy as recent days”.
However, heavy rain on Thursday night has increased the number of flood warnings in effect.
The Environment Agency has issued more than 250 flood warnings and alerts.
The warnings and alerts are in force across the south of the country from Cornwall to Kent, from Chester in the North West and regions to the east of York, as well as most areas in between.
There are 115 flood warnings (meaning flooding is expected) in place across the country, with 19 by the River Avon and 16 by the River Don.
In addition, there are 152 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible and affected residents should be prepared.
The EA said it is working with emergency responders and local authorities to protect people and properties in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
Kate Marks, the Environment Agency’s flood duty manager, said residents of badly-hit areas including Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire should “remain vigilant and take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their flood risk regularly and making plans to stay safe”.
In Wales, around 50mm of rain fell near Tal-y-Maes in the 24 hours to Thursday evening.
The 49.6mm of rainfall in Breckonshire was almost matched by Ross-on-Wyne in Herefordshire, which saw 48.8mm during the same period.
Temperatures also dropped in some parts, with some areas in the South West not managing to climb above two degrees on Thursday.
Floodwater remained the primary concern, with machines pumping 25 tonnes of water per second out of the Yorkshire village of Fishlake as British army soldiers helped reinforce flood defences.
Meanwhile, emergency services across England warned people to be careful and not drive through deep floodwater as rivers continued to swell.
Forecasters say the outlook for the weekend will be much improved even though there will still be showers.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: “In a nutshell, not fantastic, bright blue skies for the weekend, but in terms of rainfall it will be a much better picture.
“There will be a few showers knocking around, but nothing in terms of accumulations of rainfall like we’ve seen over the last week.”
(c) Sky News 2019: UK weather: More than 250 flood warnings and alerts issued after more heavy rain
