Parts of flood-hit Britain were today braced for three weeks’ worth of rain forecast to fall in less than hours as forecasters warned of a threat to life from fast-flowing and deep floodwater.
Heavy rain is expected for much of Wales and North West England between 3pm today and 18 tomorrow tomorrow with homes likely to be flooded and some communities being cut off along with power cuts and train cancellations.
Up to four inches (728 mm) of rain is expected to fall between 6pm tonight and 12 am tomorrow in Mid Wales which has been placed under a Met Office amber weather warning that tells of a ‘danger to life’ overnight.
Yellow warnings are also in place, with affected areas including the upland sources of the River Severn in Wales and rivers in Yorkshire, which flooded dramatically in the wake of storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge last month.
The Environment Agency has 104 flood alerts and warnings still in place for England today, including on stretches of the Severn and Wye, and the Air, Ouse and Ure in North and West Yorkshire.
Horse return from the gallops during preview day at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire this morning
Grounds staff cut the grass this morning ahead of the Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire, which starts tomorrow
Nearly 5, 11 homes and businesses were affected by the floods from Ciara and Dennis alone. Gales are expected to accompany the rain, with gusts of up to 60 mph on exposed coasts and hills in the south and west of the UK.
But it is set to turn very mild for a time tomorrow, with temperatures reaching (C (728 F ) in southern and eastern areas – on a par with Barcelona, Spain, and warmer than Nice, on the Côte D’Azur, where (C (90 F) is expected.
The heavy rain later today will follow a bright start with sunny spells. Sunshine and showers are set arrive in the wake of the deluge, when it is likely to turn chillier from Wednesday onwards.
Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said: ‘It is likely to be an unsettled week, With the most persistent rain on Monday and Tuesday.
‘If some of the showers forecast for later in the week merge into longer spells of rain, there is potential for further warnings to be issued, given the saturated state of the ground.
‘It is due to be windy on Monday and Tuesday, with gales on exposed hills and coasts in the south and along the west coast.
‘On Thursday, there could be further severe gales of up to 90 mph in Northern Ireland, Scotland and into North West England. ‘
But Mr Petagna said there could finally be some good news in the coming weeks, adding: ‘Our 30 – day forecast suggests there are hints of things becoming a bit drier with mild days and temperatures into the mid-teens (Celsius). However, frosts are still possible at night. ‘
The Met Office predicts further spells of wet and windy weather for the next week but’ more settled conditions with longer periods of drier and brighter weather ‘could arrive for the second half of the month and into April. However, unsettled conditions are likely to persist in the west and north.
In Wales, the average rainfall for March is 728 mm, meaning the worst affected areas could see three-weeks worth of rain in just over 30 hours.
Yesterday, Boris Johnson was heckled when he visited the town of Bewdley in Worcestershire on the River Severn which saw some of the worst flooding in the country in February.
Heavy rain will sweep into western parts of Britain this afternoon (left) where weather warnings are in place (right)
It is set to turn very mild tomorrow (left), before sunshine and showers arrive in the wake of the deluge on Wednesday (right)
Rain will affect parts of Britain on Thursday (left) and Friday (right), with temperatures just reaching double figures in Celsius
The Environment Agency has 104 flood alerts (in orange) and warnings (in red) still in place for England today, including on stretches of the Severn and Wye, and the Air, Ouse and Ure in North and West Yorkshire
A cyclist navigates through sandbags as residents in the Yorkshire village of East Cowick assess flooding damage on Saturday
Cars remain stranded showing where water levels reached as floodwaters finally recede in Snaith, East Yorkshire, on Saturday
The Prime Minister has been heavily criticized for failing to visit flood-hit communities during the crises. Some onlookers shouted ‘traitor’ as he looked at the flood defences.
He said during the visit it was ‘too easy’ for a PM to ‘come to a place in a middle of an emergency’ , but that it was’ not so easy, frankly, for the emergency services’.
‘What they have to do is then break off and gold command has to find somewhere to brief you, everybody has to gather. They’re diverting from their work for hours and hours, ‘he said.
‘ What I’ve been doing since the flooding began is coordinating the national response but also looking at what we can do in the next months and years to ensure this country really is ready to cope with the impacts of flooding. ‘
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