‘Lives at risk’ as 60mph storms to batter Britain

A ‘DANGER to life’ warning was issued last night as heavy rain and gales of up to 60mph were forecast.

The storms, with up to 4in of rain, are predicted to sweep across the country tomorrow and Saturday.

The worst conditions are expected in wales and northern england.

In some parts of the North the deluge could match the entire average october rainfall. Forecasters said a cold front is expected to cross the UK from tomorrow lunchtime and is not due to clear until the end of Saturday – bringing heavy rain in most places.

It is set to be accompanied by strong winds which could bring gusts of up to 60mph around the south coast and 50mph in Cornwall.

weather warnings have been issued for most of wales along with Cumbria, the Pennines and the Peak District.

They highlight the risk of flooding, travel disruption and communities becoming ‘cut off’. The met office said: ‘There is a small chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.’ It added that some areas could ‘become cut off by flooded roads and there is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses’.

It said: ‘Rain is expected to arrive across parts of the UK during Friday and become heavy and persistent. This is especially true for high ground exposed to the strong south-westerly wind.

‘During this period 40-60 mm (1.6-2.4in) of rain is likely, with perhaps as much as 100mm (4in) over higher ground. There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings. Tomorrow’s band of wet weather could bring up to a month’s rain for some areas.

The october average rainfall for northern england is 100.6mm (3.96in), while in wales the average is 169.6mm (6.68in).

up to october 21, the North already had up to 87.2mm (3.43in) of rain, while 122mm (4.8in) has fallen in wales. The average october rainfall for england is 91.7mm (3.61in) and 86.9mm (3.42in) has already fallen this month. But the met office said record rainfall totals for the month are unlikely to be broken. The wettest october was in 1967, when 176.5mm (6.94in) of rain fell in the North and 303.5mm (11.94in) in wales.