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.
The UK has seen its warmest start to May on record as temperatures soared to over 29C in the spring sunshine.
The Met Office said 29.3C (84.7F) had been recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London, passing the previous 1 May record of 27.4C (81.3F) set in Lossiemouth in 1990.
Thursday was also the warmest day of the year so far, beating the previous high of 26.7C (80F) reached in Wisley, Surrey, on Wednesday.
Follow latest updates: May record broken
The seafront in Southend-on-Sea. Pic: PA
But the heat is not expected to last for the bank holiday weekend, with cooler weather starting to drift in from the north on Friday.
Temperatures are expected to ease by Friday and Saturday, meaning cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “Temperatures tomorrow will be slightly reduced from what we’ve seen today, possibly 26 or 27 degrees in the far southeast of England through the day tomorrow.”
What has led to the hot spell?
Forecasters said the hot spell has been due to the jet stream remaining stuck north of the country, allowing high pressure to settle.
Last month was also the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910, with 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average, and the third warmest April on record, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Rainfall was well below average for most of the UK last month, with just 56% of expected totals recorded.
And Tyne and Wear had its second driest April on record, with only 7% of its usual rainfall.
Boy’s body recovered from lake
Meanwhile, the recovery of a 16-year-old boy’s body from a lake in Nottingham prompted emergency services to warn about swimming in lakes and rivers.
Chief Inspector David Mather, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to highlight this case as a reminder of the devastating consequences of entering open water – regardless of whether people do so deliberately or inadvertently.”
A lifeguard at London Fields Lido in east London. Pic: Reuters
The London Fire Brigade said its crews responded to 565 water-related incidents last year and have already attended around 160 in the first quarter of this year, with incidents ranging from rescuing people to animals stranded on lakes and ponds.
‘Water temperatures can be dangerously cold’
Assistant commissioner for prevention and protection Craig Carter said. “Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are. It can lead to water inhalation, and, in the worst cases, drowning.”
People enjoy their ice creams during in St James’s Park, London. Pic: PA
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) offered similar warnings, advising those planning to swim at a lifeguarded beach to swim between the red and yellow flags.
Fire services warned that the warm weather means there is a “heightened” risk of grass and wildfires which can spread more easily during the dry spell, as firefighters have been battling what they described as a large wildfire in the Peak District.
The RAC also cautioned drivers on the roads, with spokesman Rod Dennis saying breakdowns are expected to “soar”, while the NHS reported searches for hay fever advice had doubled from Monday to Wednesday.
Police have revealed details around the dismissal of the co-instructor in a fatal paddleboarding trip.
Nerys Lloyd was jailed last month for the gross negligence manslaughter of Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40.
The 39-year-old had also pleaded guilty to one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The four were part of a stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) tour of the River Cleddau in Pembrokeshire.
They got into difficulty after their paddleboards passed over a weir in the town of Haverfordwest during “extremely hazardous conditions” in October 2021.
Lloyd was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, the firm which had organised the tour.
(L-R) Nicola Wheatley, Andrea Powell, Paul O’Dwyer and Morgan Rogers. Pics: Family handouts (via South Wales Police)
The defendant, who worked as a firearms officer for South Wales Police, was separately accused of breaching the standards of professional behaviour.
The misconduct hearing took place on 14 January 2022, but the publication of the outcome was postponed.
Now that criminal proceedings have concluded, South Wales Police has published the outcome of the hearing, which details that Lloyd was accused of making a fraudulent insurance claim.
Lloyd was dismissed without notice and placed on the police barred list.
Nerys Lloyd (centre, on crutches) leaving Swansea Crown Court after her plea hearing. Pic: PA
The decision on the outcome, compiled after the hearing, states that Lloyd did not attend it and neither had she submitted a written response to the allegations.
Lloyd made a claim against the South Wales Police Federation group insurance scheme for her vehicle’s repair costs.
The cost of the work to repair the vehicle was somewhere between £16 and £20 but the insurance claim made by Lloyd was for £577.55.
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The report into her dismissal states that, when the matter came to light, she admitted her wrongdoing and immediately apologised.
She was interviewed under caution on 11 October 2021, less than three weeks before the fatal paddleboarding tour.
When interviewed by police, Lloyd said she had made a “massive error of judgement” in relation to the insurance claim and she later repaid the amount in full.
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