Flash floods see drivers trapped in cars, trains axed & streets underwater as Met Office issues ‘danger to life’ warning
Date: 2024-10-21STRANDED drivers had to be pulled from trapped cars on flooded roads as heavy rain battered the country yesterday – and more wet weather is on the way.
The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service made four separate rescues in the Crediton and Broadclyst area on Wednesday.
A yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office for rain yesterday warned of travel disruption and flooding in some parts.
Flooding across the Transport for Wales network this morning saw cancellations and delays on a number of routes.
There was also flooding around Wolverhampton with railway lines blocked, as well as in the Warrington area affecting trains heading to Liverpool Lime Street.
Crews from Crediton station in Devon attended a stuck vehicle in flood water at around 11am yesterday.
It said staff had “donned†water rescue suits and used wading poles to reach the vehicle.
Three occupants from the vehicle were taken “to a place of safety,†it added.
At around 12.20pm yesterday Middlemoor fire station attended a vehicle stuck in water in the Broadclyst area, the fire service said.
Contact was made with the occupant and firefighters “successfully assisted the occupant of the vehicle to a place of safety”.
Fire crews from Crediton then rescued another driver from their vehicle which was stuck in around 3ft of flood water at about 12.29pm.
Crediton fire crews then helped another driver to safety at 1.55pm following a report of a vehicle getting stuck in about 3ft of flood water.
Today, the Environment Agency has 28 flood warnings in place along with 117 flood alerts.
The Met Office says that it will be “drier and brighter for all†today with sunny spells for many.
Western parts will see a scattering of showers developing in the afternoon though.
Generally though it will feel pleasant in the light winds and sunshine.
Overnight, it will be cooler as light winds and clear skies will allow mist and fog to form, mainly in central areas.
It will turn windier with a small amount of rain in the northwest later.
Friday will be windy with gales in the west with heavy rain slowly moving east.
The Met Office currently has a yellow weather warning in place for north-western parts of Scotland.
The warning is in place from 7am to 3pm with the forecaster saying to expect wind gusts of 45-55 mph, and perhaps in excess of 60 mph in more exposed locations.
It added that “some disruption is possible”.
The long-range forecast
October 21-30
The Met Office says: “Through next week, an oscillating pattern between occasional spells of rain or showers, most frequent in the northwest, and longer drier interludes in-between, this most prevalent in the south and east, is likely.
“It may be rather windy at times too, again especially in northern and western areas.
“Towards late October there are signs that, whilst northwestern areas may continue to see some rain at times, high pressure may become increasingly influential across the UK, potentially bringing more widely settled and drier conditions for longer periods, with an increasing chance of overnight frost and fog.
“Temperatures will initially be above average in many areas, but potentially trending towards colder than average later in the month.”
But it will remain dry for most of the day in the east with bright or sunny spells.
Over the weekend heavy rain will clear to leave a largely dry and bright day on Saturday.
It is forecast to turn wet and windy on Sunday with gales expected for many.
Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as parts of North Wales and Cumbria, are expected to see the worst conditions and are under a yellow warning beginning at 3am on Sunday.
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The Met Office warned that there is a “small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur” from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.
Gusts of 50 to 70mph are expected in the morning, but later in the day could hit 80mph in exposed areas such as western Scotland.
The warning ends at midday on Monday which will be brighter with winds easing.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Dan Holley, previously said: “A low pressure system could bring strong winds to the north and west on Friday.
“This combined with high spring tides may result in some coastal impacts, potentially continuing into the weekend on some coasts.
“Warnings for Friday and later in the weekend have already been issued and will continue to be refined and reviewed in the coming days.
“As we head into the weekend the weather will remain unsettled with further rain at times, and by Sunday, there is a chance that a particularly deep area of low pressure arriving from the Atlantic could bring more widespread strong winds, especially in northern and western areas, with potential for some disruption in places.
“This low-pressure system is not expected to develop until Friday near the coast of Canada, so at this stage there is still a lot of uncertainty about the strength and track of this system as it interacts with the jet stream over the weekend.
“It’s likely that Sunday’s wind warning will be updated and refined as confidence increases, so stay up to date with the latest forecast.â€
