UK weather: Wettest ever February – as dozens of flood warnings remain

A total of 75 flood warnings are still in place for England and Wales as the Met Office confirmed last month was the wettest February on record – and the fifth wettest month since 1862.

The UK averaged 209.1mm of rain last month. England had 154.9mm, Wales, 288.4mm, Scotland 275.6mm and Northern Ireland 222.7mm.

A Met Office map shows that some areas got as much as 350-400% of their normal February rain (shown in purple).

Storm Jorge battered parts of the country at the weekend and ice warnings were still in place for the morning rush hour.

The Environment Agency (EA) had 73 flood warnings in place for England on Monday afternoon – mostly in the South West, along the Welsh border and in Yorkshire.

Two more warnings are in place in Wales – in Monmouth, and the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows.

While heavy downpours have eased, authorities have warned of possible travel disruption on Monday due to flooding.

The Met Office has advised to allow extra time for travelling due to widespread frost with icy patches and possibly a little snow on the hills.

Rail commuters using the West Coast main line have also been warned to expect disruptions this week as repairs are made to a section of line near Warrington which was damaged in a landslip over the weekend.

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.

Water levels are generally 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.

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 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.

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: Wettest ever February – as dozens of flood warnings remain