It’s not over yet as storms bring chaos
DOWNPOURS, strong winds and floods look set to bring more chaos this week – after a weekend of storm surges battered the country.
Several days of heavy rain and winds of up to 70mph were fuelled by Storm Alex, crossing the Channel from France.
Areas of Somerset and Hampshire saw more than a month’s worth of rainfall in 42 hours as the Met Office put out its first weather warnings since March.
Homes were flooded in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, while the river Coquet burst its banks at Rothbury, Northumberland. Amber warnings for Wales, the West Midlands and western parts of southern England were extended from 6am to noon yesterday before being lifted.
Conditions were colder and wetter further south, with London seeing a top temperature of just 11C compared with 15C in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow.
The Met Office predicted ‘a showery day for most’ today, with persistent rain across southern England, Northern Ireland and south Wales.
Last night, the Environment Agency had 24 flood warnings in place across England, including at the river Aller in Somerset, the Stour, Warwickshire, and the Ure in North Yorkshire. There were also 76 less serious flood alerts in place in England, along with 12 warnings and 18 alerts in Scotland and three warnings and 13 alerts in Wales.
RAC Breakdown’s Rod Dennis said road conditions would be ‘miserable if not downright dangerous’ for drivers who should be prepared for surface spray, gusty winds and traffic disruption. Police forces across the country issued warnings after a number of crashes on waterlogged roads.