UK weather: Met Office raises impact level of heavy rain warning – days after Storm Ciaran caused chaos
The Met Office has raised the impact level of a warning for heavy rain across southern England – as nearly 200 flood alerts have been issued nationwide.
The yellow alert comes days after Storm Ciaran battered the same area with rain, flooding and winds of up to 100mph.
The weather service said already saturated conditions would increase the risk of flooding and travel disruption.
A large swathe of the South – from Dorset to Kent, and as far as south London – is covered by the warning from 5am on Saturday until midnight.
The warning is in force from 5am on Saturday until midnight. Pic: Met Office
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The Met Office said it was raising the impact level of the weather warning to medium to cater for “higher rainfall totals in parts of the South East”.
The warning was updated on Saturday morning, removing it from southwestern parts of England where the Met Office said the heaviest rain has now passed.
It expected 15-25mm of rain to “fall quite widely”, especially towards the south coast, adding that the wettest spots in East Sussex and southeast Kent could receive 30-45mm of rainfall.
Spray and flooding could make car journeys tricky, and bus and train services could be affected too, according to the Met Office.
It also warned flooding of homes and businesses is possible as well as “a small chance of deep floodwater in places”.
The weather warning comes just days after Storm Ciaran hammered parts of the UK
Newhaven harbour wall in East Sussex, pictured on Thursday
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said this level of rain on its own would not usually be particularly concerning, but it came “against the backdrop of a very wet October and ongoing issues in parts of Sussex”.
He added: “It doesn’t actually take much more rain for there to be further impacts in relation to surface water issues on roads.”
The Met Office said the band of wet and windy weather will move north across much of England and Wales during Saturday with blustery heavy showers following.
Storm Ciaran was still causing some knock-on problems for the railways on Friday.
LNER, which runs the line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, advised passengers not to travel until Saturday.
Delays and cancellations were expected because trains and staff were out of position due to power failures.
Other operators also warned of disruption as they cleared debris off tracks.
A car struggles through a flooded road in Yapton, West Sussex, earlier this week
Flood warnings and alerts are also in place across the UK. Pic: Environment Agency
Storm Ciaran moved from the UK into the North Sea – and its southern edge caused chaos in parts of Italy.
Officials said six people died and two were missing after rivers in Tuscany burst their banks following torrential rain overnight into Friday.
There were fears Florence could be flooded, but the historic city avoided any major incidents.
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Tuscany hit by flooding after heavy rain
Italian Civil Protection officials said 200mm (7.87in) of rain fell in a three-hour period, stretching from Livorno on the western coast to the inland valley of Mugello.
Tuscany’s president, Eugenio Giani, said it had never had so much rain in such a short space of time.
He told Sky TG24 that experts believe it was the worst downpour in 100 years.
“What happened overnight in Tuscany has a clear name: CLIMATE CHANGE,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.
“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”
Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield
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The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.
A “British man” has died after being beaten and set on fire by a mob in Ecuador, according to reports by media in the South American country.
According to reports, the man – who has not been officially identified – had been detained by police after being accused of being involved in a fatal shooting.
Ecuadorian news outlet Ecuavisa reported that the man had been taken to a police station Playas del Cuyabeno, a remote village in the Amazon rainforest.
While there, a group broke into the station and took the man away. He was then set on fire in the street, it is reported, and died from his burns.
The incident reportedly happened in the Playas del Cuyabeno area of Sucumbios province
Another local report, from EXTRA.ec, said that specialist police units had been slow to arrive due to the geographical conditions of the area – which is accessible by river.
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According to reports, police officers at the station apparently decided they could not intervene when the mob arrived out of concerns for their own safety.
It is understood the UK Foreign Office is following up reports about the incident and working with local authorities to confirm the details.
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