Flood warnings remain as cold spell persists

flood-warnings-remain-as-cold-spell-persists
Flood warnings remain as cold spell persists

Over 100 flood warnings are still in place in southern England due to last week’s wet weather, with cold temperatures continuing. The Environment Agency has confirmed that there are 125 flood warnings in England, including along the River Thames near London. A yellow warning for ice across southern England and southern Wales expired early on Tuesday morning. Much of England remains under an amber cold health alert until Friday, with temperatures expected to remain cold, and a frost and ice risk for some areas.

BBC Weather presenter Stav Danaos said “the misery of floodwater clean-up continues across parts of England as the rivers and waterways only slowly return back to normal”. Weeks of wet and windy weather from several storms resulted in heavy rain on saturated ground, leading to widespread flooding. Although the rest of the week should remain dry, there will be a frost and ice risk for some areas, but the threat of snowfall has eased.

Jersey experienced snowfall, causing a delay to flights due to the closure of the runway at the island’s airport. The runway was being de-iced and is expected to reopen later. Temperatures overnight dropped to -1C in Birmingham, 0C in Glasgow and 1C in London. Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, according to Prof Dominic Mellon from the UK Health Security Agency, who advised checking on those most vulnerable to the cold.

The River Thames has burst its banks in Surrey, flooding homes, businesses, and roads, and residents in Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, have had to leave their homes due to flooding. Dave Throup, who retired from the Environment Agency (EA) in 2021, said flood defences had helped to protect homes, but were not enough to avoid future flooding. Instead, there needed to be natural flood management measures along the entire stretch of rivers. The EA is developing a “broad range” of actions to tackle flooding.

If you are affected by the flood warnings or snow, you can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment, or you can email HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk

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