Fresh weather misery expected today as yellow weather warning comes into force in parts of the UK still reeling from Storm Babet
- A fresh warning for ‘heavy rain’ will be in place between 3am and 4pm today
- It comes after deaths and devastation across Britain caused by Storm Babet
Published: 02:06, 24 October 2023 | Updated: 02:06, 24 October 2023
Britain is bracing for yet more misery as another deluge is predicted to hit with yellow weather warnings coming into force.
The warning for ‘heavy rain’ will be in place between 3am and 4pm today.
Up to two inches (50mm) of heavy rain could fall across parts of Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
The Met Office[2] said there is a ‘small chance’ that homes and businesses could be flooded, that fast-flowing or deep floodwater could cause a danger to life and that some communities will be cut off by flooded roads.
It comes as the flood risk in England and Wales remained at medium on Monday and the death toll from Storm Babet rose to at least seven people.
Huge waves crash over the rocks at Seaham in Durham during Storm Babet, which has broken records for the wettest October day
Aerial view of water damaged cars are seen as flood waters begin to recede in the village of Catcliffe
Some 1,250 properties have been flooded across England and 30,000 need flood protection. Records have been set for the wettest October day in at least 13 locations.
And provisional rainfall totals from Storm Babet were also higher than those recorded on the wettest UK day ever.
The warning covers a vast swathe of England already hit by flooding and could lead to further floods in the East Midlands, including Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, as well as much of Yorkshire, including Sheffield, Leeds and York, and Humberside.
Rachel Ayers, Met Office meteorologist, said a few places, most likely Lincolnshire and Humberside, could see 30-50mm of rain while southern England and Wales could experience 10-20mm.
She said there will be ‘some respite’ across Scotland on Tuesday after its battering by the storm.
A car is driven through a flooded road in Faithlegg, Co. Waterford, Ireland, following Storm Babet
Coral Curtis sweeps flood water from her house on Sherwood Street in Chesterfield following deluge
Pictured, a Lincolnshire farm flooded.
Rachel Ayers, Met Office meteorologist, said a few places, most likely Lincolnshire and Humberside, could see 30-50mm of rain
‘The weather we are seeing on Tuesday is no longer associated with Storm Babet,’ Ms Ayers said.
‘We will see some heavy rain in areas affected by flooding during Storm Babet though the worst impacted areas in Scotland will remain mostly dry on Tuesday.’
She continued: ‘Within the warning area we could see some travel disruption due to spray and flooding on roads.
‘There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life, or that some communities could be cut off due to flooded roads.’
Reports of floods to the Environment Agency (EA) reached the highest level since 2015/16 at the peak of the storm, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow told the Commons on Monday.
The EA issued more than 300 flood warnings and received more than 1,800 calls to its flood line, she said.
Hundreds of people have been left homeless in the wake of Storm Babet, with about 1,250 properties in England flooded, according to the EA.
Ms Pow said investigations are expected.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey (picture) visited affected residents in Retford who said they had been forced to rescue their children
Shocking aerial photos shows Sandiacre village, Derbyshire, underwater as Brits brace themselves for another day of lethal floods caused by deadly Storm Babet
Images revealed family cars in Yorkshire being swallowed whole in dirty waters and Derbyshire homes immersed in a seemingly endless reservoir
A total of 13 areas broke their daily rainfall records for October last week, including sites in Suffolk, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Kincardineshire, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Derbyshire and Humberside, the Met Office said.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey visited affected residents in Retford, Nottinghamshire, who said they had been forced to rescue their children from flooded homes after fire brigade said they were unable to help.
Resident Lucy Rose said her house is ‘not a home anymore, it’s just a shell of water’.
The death toll rose on Monday as police recovered the body of a man after reports that a person was trapped in a vehicle in floodwater near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, on Friday.
Police Scotland said that formal identification is still to take place, however next of kin have been informed.
On Saturday, 83-year-old Maureen Gilbert was found dead in her flooded home in Tapton Terrace, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
Mrs Gilbert’s neighbours said five feet of water had engulfed the inside of their properties ‘within minutes’ of the River Rother bursting its banks.
Wendy Taylor, 57, died after being swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk, on Thursday.
Mrs Taylor, who was described as ‘the beloved wife, best friend and soulmate in life to George, mother to James, Sally and Susanna and Granny to India and George’, was said to be ‘a ray of sunshine for everyone who was fortunate enough to know her’ in a tribute issued through Police Scotland.
Two women died after a five-vehicle crash on the M4 on Friday which is believed to have been weather-related.
Four cars and an HGV were involved in the crash on the eastbound carriageway between junction 17 for Chippenham and junction 18 for Bath.
A 56-year-old driver, John Gillan, died when a tree fell on his van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday and a man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing floodwater in the town of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, on Friday.
Mr Gillan’s family said he was a loving husband, dad, grandad and son.
References
- ^ Matt Drake (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Wales (www.dailymail.co.uk)