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Flood warnings as wet weather arrives Canoeist dies as thaw brings flooding
(35 minutes later)
Serious flooding is possible across many parts of the UK as milder temperatures thaw snow and rain moves in, forecasters have warned. More than 80 flood warnings are in place in England, Wales and Scotland as the thaw and heavy rain continue and river levels rise.
Parts of Wales and England have so far seen localised flooding, and a Met Office yellow href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/#?regionName=ni&tab=map&map=Warnings&zoom=7&lon=-6.49&lat=54.86&fcTime=1359115260" >warning for rain is in force for much of the UK. In North Yorkshire, a canoeist, believed to be in his 30s, has died after he was pulled from the swollen River Swale, near Ripon.
Seventy-eight href="http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31618.aspx" >flood warnings and 325 alerts are in place in England and Wales. Scotland has href="http://floodline.sepa.org.uk/floodupdates/" >seven warnings. A rescue operation was launched after the canoeist got into difficulties near Reeth.
Forecasters say Sunday will see a mix of sunny spells and blustery showers. Forecasters are warning of more rain across the UK this week.
The Met Office said heavy rain across much of the country, combined with fairly rapid snow melt, would lead to localised surface water and river flooding. The Great North Air Ambulance Service confirmed the canoeist had died despite efforts to save his life.
Western Scotland and Cumbria saw the heaviest rain on Saturday night. Wales and north-west England bore the brunt of the wet weather into Sunday, with Lake Vyrnwy, in mid-Wales, seeing 5.6cm (2in) of rain in 24 hours.
There are flood warnings in place in East Anglia, south-west England, the Midlands, north-east England, north-west England and Wales.
The Environment Agency said emergency teams were out in these areas checking "high priority defences" to make sure they were working.
In other developments:In other developments:
Environment Agency spokesman Innes Thomson told the BBC: "The message is that there's wet weather all over the country, we've already got flooded fields, we've got localised flooding, we've got high ground water and we've got spring tides this week coming. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency said rain falling on already saturated ground was likely to lead to more disruption on the roads this week.
"So we've actually got a complete cocktail of issues and concerns for us to keep an eye on." It also warned that properties could flood, particularly in the south-west of England on Tuesday.
Spring tides occur when the sun and moon are aligned, so their gravitational pull is combined - leading to especially high, high tides and low, low tides. There had been no reports of flooding on Sunday but river levels were yet to peak, it said.
The seven flood warnings issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) include the Scottish Borders, Whitesands in Dumfries and Galloway and parts of central Scotland. "Emergency teams from the Environment Agency have been out in force this weekend shoring up flood defences, monitoring river levels and clearing blockages from watercourses, and they will continue their work on the ground to reduce the risk of flooding throughout the week," a spokesperson said.
The BBC weather centre said much of the rain would clear eastwards through Sunday. There are href="http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31618.aspx" >77 flood warnings and 310 alerts in place in England and Wales while Scotland has href="http://floodline.sepa.org.uk/floodupdates/" >four warnings.
BBC forecaster Laura Gilchrist said Sunday would see sunny spells and blustery showers - with the heaviest in the west and north. The wind would be brisk and there was also a risk of hail and thunder. The BBC's Darren Bett said the thaw of snow had continued on Sunday with a mixture of sunshine and showers and that river levels had risen throughout the day.
Moving into the night, the showers would leave off, but Monday would see wet and windy conditions for most. Some heavy showers, as well as hail and gusty wind, would continue overnight, particularly in the southern counties of England and north-west Scotland, he said.
The Met Office has a issued yellow "be aware" warning - for Monday afternoon and evening - for heavy rain in south-west England.
A further yellow warning for heavy rain has been issued for the whole of Tuesday for south-west England and parts of Wales.
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Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy

Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy
Temperature tab onlyTemperature tab only

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather
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