NI to escape deluge as UK flood warnings issued
NORTHERN Ireland is facing an unsettled week after wet weather pushed out the sunshine of recent days.
Large swathes of the UK saw thunderstorms and torrential downpours after flash flooding caused disruption to parts of southern England.
But the Met Office warned of potential further heavy rain, which could see up to 1.6in (40mm) falling within in an hour in some areas.
There’s a yellow warning for rain in much of Scotland this afternoon and even the possibility of flooding, while there is a chance roads could be closed due to rain lashing the area, the Met Office said.
“If you’re caught by a thunderstorm, you’re likely to see 20mm40mm (0.8in-1.6in) of rain within the hour, and some areas could see 50mm-70mm (2in-2.8in) within three to four hours,” according to Nicola Maxey, a spokeswoman for the Met Office.
“Really, anywhere within the warning area is at risk of those storms.”
However, Northern Ireland looks set to escape the worst of the deluge.
The Met Office said it will be cloudy and misty for much of the morning, but becoming brighter later with showers breaking out.
A few heavy showers are likely in the afternoon here, dying away in the early evening.
The outlook for the rest of the week is unsettled, with strong winds a possibility, although it will remain warm.
The Environment Agency yesterday issued a number of flood alerts for parts of the Midlands around Birmingham.
One flood warning, which means flooding is expected, was issued yesterday afternoon for the Eastwood Brook and Prittlewell Brook in the Southend area after intense rainfall caused river levels to rise.
Ben Lukey, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Localised surface water flooding may affect individual properties and cause travel disruption across parts of England, with minor surface water flooding possible.
“River flooding may also occur in urban areas or from small watercourses reacting quickly to heavy rain.”
Amid unsettled conditions on Sunday, a huge funnel cloud appeared over the Bristol Channel, which appeared to create a spray from the sea and was visible for around 15 minutes, according to onlookers.
The M11 northbound was forced to close between Junction 7 and Junction 8 at Stansted due to severe flooding.