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Heavy rain prompts flood warnings for south-east England Heavy rain prompts flood warnings for south-east England
(about 4 hours later)
The Flood Forecasting Centre is warning of probable flooding in south-east England where a month’s worth of rain is expected in the next two days, prompting a severe weather warning. The Flood Forecasting Centre is warning of a deluge in south-east England, where a month’s worth of rain is expected in the next two days.
A flood alert has already been issued for south-east London, and the Met Office issued an amber warning for heavy rain in London and the south. Four flood alerts have been issued across England, and the Met Office issued an amber “be prepared” warning for heavy rain in London and the south due to intense thundery downpours, with likely travel disruption and a potential risk to life and property.
The amber “be prepared” warning means there is likely to be travel disruption and a potential risk to life and property. The Environment Agency’s executive director of flood risk management, John Curtin, warned there could be “issues all week” as the heaviest downpours were still to come. The overall flood risk has been set at “medium”.
The Flood Forecasting Centre, run by the agency and the Met Office, said significant river floods were possible and the four alerts remained in place on Monday evening: by the River Cole and Dorcan Brook; in the Middle Exe area in the south-west; around the River Wandle in south London; and also across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley, Greenwich and Croydon along the River Ravensbourne.
On Tuesday, the heaviest rain is expected to be seen across the east of England, with 60mm of rain forecast in some places, though it will be “a wet day” for many parts of the UK, according to Alex Burkill, a meteorologist at the Met Office.
An amber severe weather warning for #rain has been issued: https://t.co/PVeO16J67b Stay #weatheraware @metofficeuk pic.twitter.com/3pZ6l8LyVDAn amber severe weather warning for #rain has been issued: https://t.co/PVeO16J67b Stay #weatheraware @metofficeuk pic.twitter.com/3pZ6l8LyVD
The Environment Agency’s executive director of flood risk management, John Curtin, warned there could be “issues all week” as the heaviest downpours were still to come. The overall flood risk has been set at “medium”. The Flood Forecasting Centre, run by the agency and the Met Office, said: “Significant surface-water flooding impacts are probable in the south-east of England on Monday.” It said significant river floods were also possible. “The rain will continue through Wednesday to Thursday, with up to 100mm in some high ground spots in eastern England and into northern Wales,” he said. “We’re in for a very wet spell. These sorts of spells are not unheard of, but it’ll be a very wet one, and it will last for a few days. That’s why we’re likely to see impacts such as flooding and travel disruption.”
We have an AMBER warning for surface water flood risk with today’s storms - keep close to associated river impacts at our flood warning and river level system here - there may be issues all week https://t.co/K5GUW3z87V pic.twitter.com/SkgdwQXA6T He added that June is usually the third driest month of the year, but the current weather stood in contrast to June 2018 where many stations saw less than 2mm in a month. The England average for June rainfall is about 62mm for the month.
The flood alert covers the River Ravensbourne in the boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley, Greenwich and Croydon. The alert said there was a risk of flooding for low-lying land, gardens and roads close to the river between 7am and 6pm. “It really is a very wet period that we’re entering. This is quite exceptional at this time of year.”
The Met Office has also issued yellow “be aware” warnings for rain in south-east England, East Anglia and the east Midlands from 4pm on Monday, and three more warnings for rain from Tuesday to Thursday in the east Midlands, east Yorkshire and the north-east. The Met Office has also issued yellow “be aware” warnings for rain in south-east England, East Anglia and the east Midlands from 4pm on Monday, as well as three more warnings for rain from Tuesday to Thursday in the east Midlands, east Yorkshire and the north-east.
Later a separate yellow warning for rain on Monday was issued for the West Country and south Wales. The latest radar shows many areas are now seeing heavy #rain, with a line of thunderstorms pushing into Kent and East Sussex #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/RwNxzo0Gsg
A yellow severe weather warning for #rain has been issued https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs. Stay #weatheraware @metofficeuk pic.twitter.com/dSKOOPp6gI Fast flowing flood water “causing danger to life”, power cuts and thunderstorms are also possible, forecasters added.
Some of the areas could receive 10cm (4in) of rain in a day – as much as they would typically get in a month. They may be affected by flooding and transport could be disrupted, the Met Office said. “Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings,” the Met Office said. “Delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are likely with spray and flooding probably leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.”
So far, the heaviest rain has been in the south-east and south-west. Plymouth saw 2.4cm of rain in a few hours on Monday, and overnight 1.5cm fell in Sellindge in Kent. Kent county council warned of surface water on the A249 at Stockbury as police urged drivers to slow down and use lights. A road in Rye, East Sussex, has also flooded. Forecasters said the northern home counties, the east Midlands, Lincolnshire and the Humber could have some of the heaviest and most persistent rain later in the week.
Stockbury, A249 Southbound: Surface water flooding in lane 2 heading Southbound on the A249 between the Stockbury Roundabout (M2 J5) and the junction with South Green Lane. Please use caution on the approach and drive to the weather conditions: https://t.co/dNSevVdQ3b pic.twitter.com/pfPPGDqEKA
The forecaster Steven Keates said heavier and more persistent rain was likely in southern and eastern England on Monday afternoon.
Keates said the northern home counties, the east Midlands, Lincolnshire and the Humber could have some of the heaviest and most persistent rain later in the week.
“The heaviest and most persistent rain is still to come. It is going to be more the persistence of the rain in some places and the intensity for others,” he said. “Eastern and southern England in particular are likely to be seeing long and persistent bad weather. Some places could see a month’s worth of rain in two or three days, and we could see some flooding issues.”
The band of rain will move slightly north and west before settling, with Northern Ireland and Scotland expected to have the best of the weather.
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