West of England and Wales braced for a month’s rain in a day
Met Office weather alert warns of strong winds, flooding and travel disruption
UK homeowners are braced for flooding and nightmare commutes as forecasters warn that some parts of the country will be hit by a month’s worth of rain today.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for between 8am and 10pm in Wales, northwest England and southwest England, reports Sky News.
In some areas, 80mm of rain is possible, exceeding England’s average August total of 69.3mm, says The Telegraph.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The heaviest rain is most likely over high ground, where some places may see 60-80mm. Strong winds are also expected with 30-40mph gusts likely around exposed coasts and hills,” said the Met Office in The Guardian.
The weather service has warned that transport could be disrupted and flooding of some homes and businesses can’t be ruled out, the Telegraph reports. The hardest rainfall is expected to come during peak travel time on Friday afternoon, making driving difficult for people heading home for the weekend.
Helen Roberts, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “There is some pretty wet and quite windy weather on the way for Friday, a deep area of low pressure pushing from the Atlantic that is going to bring a spell of rain for all.
“We have a warning out for that rainfall.”
The warning comes after severe flooding at the end of July, which affected parts of central, northwest and northeast England, says Sky News.
At least 11 people had to be rescued from flooding in the Cheshire town of Poynton, and many homes were flooded in Yorkshire, leaving people stranded in their cars.
But better weather may be on the way, says the Express. A build-up of high pressure should allow dry and bright weather to develop in time for the August bank holiday weekend.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “There are hints of high pressure rebuilding with something more settled in the forecast,” the Express reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - December 21, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - losing it, pedal to the metal, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Three fun, festive activities to make the magic happen this Christmas Day
Inspire your children to help set the table, stage a pantomime and write thank-you letters this Christmas!
By The Week Junior Published
-
The best books of 2024 to give this Christmas
The Week Recommends From Percival Everett to Rachel Clarke these are the critics' favourite books from 2024
By The Week UK Published
-
Rail strikes: is Britain on track for a ‘summer of discontent’?
Speed Read The ‘biggest rail strike in modern history’ is planned for next week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
‘See it. Say it. Sorted’: is it the end of the line for train announcements?
Speed Read The transport secretary has pledged a ‘bonfire of the banalities’ on England’s railways
By The Week Staff Published
-
UK to bring in airport Covid tests for arrivals
Speed Read MPs call for stricter border measures as South African variant of coronavirus spreads
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
UK records biggest jump in transport use since pandemic began
Speed Read Monday rush hour sees spike in commuters across country as trains return to 90% of pre-coronavirus services
By Gabriel Power Last updated
-
Coronavirus: what are the odds of catching Covid-19 on a plane?
Speed Read Studies suggest air travel is safe despite concerns about air quality
By Holden Frith Last updated
-
Plane crashed ‘as distracted pilots discussed Covid fears’
Speed Read Preliminary report says ‘human error’ to blame for crash in Pakistan that claimed 98 lives
By Aaron Drapkin Last updated
-
Coronavirus: Virgin Atlantic tells staff to take unpaid leave
Speed Read Move comes amid warnings that global pandemic could bankrupt aviation industry
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
UK airlines call for multibillion-pound coronavirus bailout
Speed Read Demand comes ahead of ‘bloodiest week in British aviation history’
By The Week Staff Last updated