Heavy rain to ease in England and Wales, but flood alerts remain

Forecasters predict sunny spells and scattered showers for most of British isles, but river and coastal areas at risk of flash floods Torrential rain that pounded parts of western England and Wales is expected to ease off, but people living near rivers and coasts have been warned not to drop their guard. Flood alerts remained in place on Tuesday across Devon and Cornwall, where small rivers are susceptible to flash flooding, and on the Yorkshire coast and Wear estuary where high tides threaten to combine with fresh heavy showers. The Environment Agency has increased the number of alerts – the lowest of the three stages of preparations for flooding – from 17 to 20, in spite of less damage on Monday and overnight than feared. The south-west alerts apply to east-facing stretches of coast as well as rivers, because of possible tidal surges. Yorkshire’s two biggest resorts, Scarborough and Bridlington, have been removed from the at-risk list, however, with the smaller centres of Whitby and Filey reckoned to be more at risk. The third of the area’s three current alerts applies to the coast south of Bridlington as far as Barmston. The agency expects to cut the number of warnings further during the day, as the vigour of the current wet weather front wears out, but its staff advise caution. A spokesman said: : “We had some reports of flooding to property on Monday and continued disruption to travel is possible. “Given the potential for very heavy localised downpours, small, fast responding rivers and streams are particularly prone to flooding, especially in Cornwall and west Devon. Strong winds and high tides in south Devon are also increasing the risk of localised flooding in coastal areas. Some precautionary closures of roads have been organised by local authorities.” Forecasts of rainfall reaching 100mm in some places on Monday were not realised but Cardinham near Bodmin in Cornwall had 58mm and Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire 50mm between 7am and 7pm. Winds reached 60mph in Orkney and Shetland and further gales are expected there on Tuesday. Cornwall received almost an average month’s rain on Monday and emergency services responded to more than 300 calls about flash flooding, fallen trees and blocked drains. The palm-fringed seafront at Torbay was closed to traffic because of rain, high winds and wave surges. A 13-year-old girl who went missing while walking her dog on the coast at St Agnes in Cornwall on Monday evening was later found by an 80-strong team of rescuers. She is being treated for head injuries after a fall. Forecasters say the rain will move north during the day and weaken to moderate showers, followed by mixed but generally drier weather. Billy Payne, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “Today should see sunny periods interspersed with heavy showers, apart from northern Scotland, where heavy rain will continue. There is also a risk of thundery showers in the south-west and south Wales later today.” Temperatures are expected to drop from Monday’s high of 19C (66F) to a maximum 16C (61F) in East Anglia and the south-east. Wales’ last flood alert at Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire has also been lifted. Weather Wales Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk

Posted by on October 25, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.