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Flood warnings in place after weekend of rain and snow Flood warnings in place after weekend of rain and snow
(about 2 hours later)
Large parts of England and Wales remain on flood alert after torrential rain, snow and blizzards swept into the UK over the weekend. Large parts of England and Wales are on flood alert after heavy rain – plus snow and hail – swept across the UK over the weekend.
Heavy deluges caused flash flooding in some places, with Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire the worst affected. On Monday morning 16 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected and immediate action needed – were in place: six in the south-west of England, five in the Anglian region and three in the Midlands.
The rain, which fell on ground left sodden from the summer downpours, prompted the Environment Agency to issue of a number of flood warnings in England and Wales. In addition, the Environment Agency published more than 70 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, almost half of them in the south-east of England.
There were 16 in place on Monday morning in areas of the south-west, south-east, East Anglia, the Midlands and Wales, while 82 flood alerts were in place for areas where the threat is less serious. Last week, the agency said the unusually wet summer could lead to flooding this winter. Rivers remain full and the ground saturated so that only relatively small amounts of rain put homes and businesses at risk.
Bournemouth received the most rainfall in the UK, with 30mm falling in just 24 hours from 5pm on Saturday. The Dorset town would expect to receive only 100mm of rain on average for the whole of November. Craig Woolhouse, the Environment Agency's flood risk manager, said: "The Environment Agency has issued a number of flood warnings and alerts as a result of heavy rain across the south of England and Wales over this weekend.
Parts of south Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire were also drenched during the severe downpour. Plymouth recorded 23mm of rainfall during the period. "Only last week the organisation warned that flooding could be more likely this winter as a result of heavy rainfall during the summer and higher than normal rivers and groundwater levels."
Julian Mayes, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's not exceptional rainfall, but the last two weeks have been fairly wet and it's falling on to saturated ground which means the effect is more immediate. Most southern counties had more than 15mm." The worst of the weather over the weekend was focused on Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire as an area of low pressure moved north-east across the south of England.
Snow fell in areas of Somerset, north Dorset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire over the weekend, with reports of at least 3cm of snow following blizzards in hilly areas. On Sunday, up to 25mm of rain fell in many areas with Bournemouth suffering the heaviest downpour – a very soggy 34mm. A Met Office spokesman said cold air from the north-east "dug into" the low pressure, causing snow to fall not just on the hills but on lower ground. Around 3cm of snow fell in parts of the south-west, triggering a couple of hours of sledging and cars slips-sliding on untreated roads.
Nick Prebble of Meteogroup said the weather would become drier over the coming days and the flood threat should decrease as the week went on. But the rain rather than the snow caused most problems. Firefighters in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were called to seven separate incidents of people trapped in vehicles. One woman was stuck in her car when it was pushed on to its side in floodwater. In Carmarthenshire, west Wales, firefighters used a boat to rescue nine adults and six children from the Pendine caravan park.
But he did advise people to wrap up warm if they are going to a Bonfire Night fireworks display on Monday evening. On Monday morning, the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for some areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England after plunging temperatures made driving tricky.
Prebble said: "Maximum temperatures will be between 6-9C (43-48F) nationwide, which is a few degrees below average for November. More rain, hail and thunder are expected later on Monday in some coastal areas of England and Wales but in most places it is expected to be dry and, often, sunny. However, for the moment the Met Office said it remained cold. The chilliest place overnight on Sunday was Shap in Cumbria, where the temperature dropped to -5C. The maximum temperature on Monday was likely to be just 10C – in London. Bonfire night was predicted to be clear but cold.
"It's also going to be a cold night with clear skies and temperatures of around 4-5C (39-41F) across much of the country by mid-evening, so it will feel quite chilly. The weather is likely to be less dramatic as the week goes on with the Met Office predicting that it will get milder but cloudier.
"The visibility should be good for any firework displays though."
The morning will get off to a showery start but the rain will clear as the day progresses, Prebble added.
The Met Office warned some motorists of icy conditions on Monday morning, issuing a severe weather warning in parts of eastern Scotland and north-east England.
The national forecaster said: "Scattered rain showers falling on to sub-zero surfaces may lead to icy patches on untreated roads and pavements for a time this morning.
"The public are advised to take extra care and that this may cause some disruption to transport."
Participants in the London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run struggled in Sunday's wet conditions.
More than 500 pre-1905 vehicles were expected to make their way from the capital to the south coast. But only 449 made it to the start line in Hyde Park, and 372 completed the course.
Rebecca Nicholls, a spokeswoman for the event, said: "The weather made it very hard as the majority of the vehicles were open and the occupants got saturated."
Football matches were also affected, as FA Cup ties at non-league Braintree Town, Essex and Gloucester City were postponed because of waterlogged pitches.
Craig Woolhouse, the Environment Agency flood risk manager, said: "The Environment Agency has issued a number of flood warnings and alerts as a result of heavy rain across the south of England and Wales over this weekend.
"Only last week the organisation warned that flooding could be more likely this winter as a result of heavy rainfall during the summer and higher than normal rivers and groundwater levels.
"Anyone in a flood risk area can get free early warnings with vital information to keep themselves and their property safe."