Flood fears after heavy rainfall

The Environment Agency has issued 32 flood warnings across England and Wales, and 120 less serious flood alerts, which indicate areas where flooding is possible. Only the north west of England will not be affected.

The River Severn looks set to peak in Gloucestershire on Wednesday and people have been cautioned to stay away from swollen rivers.

Somerset, Dorset and Devon are particularly vulnerable to flooding, says the Environment Agency (EA), but the threat of major flooding is starting to recede.

More than 20mm of rain fell in the space of 12 hours in some regions, and more downpours are expected on Tuesday, which will increase pressure on already saturated rivers.

“River flows are high after this weekend’s rainfall and we are keeping a close watch on river levels as well as checking defences and clearing any potential blockages to reduce the risk of flooding,” said the EA in a statement.

Gloucestershire County Council said some roads were closed, including one in Cinderford which was shut after the road collapsed, and a number of minor routes in Tewkesbury which were under water.

Drivers have been warned to take care, and although rain is expected to reduce as the day goes on, the Met Office warned of strong north easterly winds across the Midlands and parts of Wales. ellow warnings for heavy downpours have also been issued in the south and east of England, southern Wales, London and the Midlands.

How can there be flood warnings in a drought? Liam Dutton explains all.

Flooding and drought?

This April has been the wettest since records began (in 1910), according to provisional figures from the Met Office [see graphic], but the heavy downpours are not the right conditions to relieve the country’s drought, says Weather Presenter Liam Dutton: “The key to explaining why there are flood warnings in a drought lies in the speed at which surface water sources respond to rainfall.” Read more here.

Thames Water warned its 8.8 million customers that a hosepipe ban will remain in place despite heavy downpours. The UK’s biggest water company said that this month’s rain did not make up for a shortfall caused by below-average rainfall in 20 of the previous 25 months.

“It took the two driest years since records began for us to get into this drought, and one wet month, even one as wet as April, will not be enough to get us out of it,” said Richard Aylard, director of sustainability and external affairs for Thames Water.

The Met Office issued an amber warning of severe rain and storms in south west England. Yellow warnings for heavy downpours are also in place for the south and east of England, southern Wales, London and the Midlands.

Rainfall from 4pm to 4am, 30 April
Exmoor: 32mm
South Wales: 20mm
Bournemouth airport: 16mm

A man and his dog drowned when their car attempted to cross a flooded ford in Hampshire on Monday. His 54-year-old wife was able to escape as the car was swept downstream, but the man, from the Middlesex area, had to be recovered from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene

In Northamptonshire, around 1,000 people were evacuated from a caravan park on Monday.

In the space of one hour, 6.44mm of rain fell in St Athan, south Wales. In the Cotswolds town of Winchcombe, in Gloucestershire, 5.8mm fell in the same time period. In addition to the rain, falling at a rate of 1-2mm per hour across the south of England, lightening strikes were also reported on Monday night.

However there has been a huge contrast in weather across the UK over the last week, with Scotland and Northern Ireland enjoying sunshine, and heavy rainfall across the England and Wales.