January 31, 2014 - UNITED KINGDOM - A VIOLENT and destructive storm is hurtling across the Atlantic and will smash into Britain TONIGHT. The entire country faces at least three days of torrential downpours, savage 150mph gales and weeks of relentless flood misery.
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| Storm Brigid is gathering pace in the Atlantic and heading for Britain [Eumetsat Meteosat] |
Storm Brigid is expected to first hit UK shores later this afternoon before the full force of the onslaught rips into the country tomorrow.
Experts say it threatens to cause destruction on a par with the ferocious October St Jude’s Day Storm and subsequent Storm Emily which hit in December.
It came as figures show some areas of England have already had their wettest January since records began.
The Met Office said much of the south and Midlands already had twice the average rainfall for January by midnight on Tuesday - with three days still left in the month.
Several inches of rain are likely to fall in a matter of hours through the next few days, sealing the record for England’s wettest winter in history.
So far eight inches of rain have fallen since the beginning of December, with just eight more needed to beat the 1914/15 record of 16.
Officials have warned Britain will be crippled by frenzied winds capable of up ripping trees and tearing roof slates from buildings.
Rivers already close to overflowing are likely to burst their banks sparking a torrent of flood warnings and alerts across the nation.
Forecasters have warned a run of storms are lined up in the Atlantic threatening torrential rain and gales for at least a week.
Swathes of the country have been left under inches of water after heavy and relentless rain which has held out for weeks.
Government forecasters have issued a raft of severe weather warnings for rain today and tomorrow across the south with more than an inch expected.
There are also warnings for severe gale-force winds and potentially destructive waves along the west coast at the weekend.
A further Met Office warning has been issued for snow across Scotland tomorrow with brutal gales expected to trigger blizzards.
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| Storm Brigid will bring yet more chaos to coastal owns like Aberystwyth [EPA] |
Chief forecaster Frank Saunders warned severe weather over the next few days is likely to lead to travel disruption and loss of power supplies.
He said: “Another very deep area of low pressure will spread heavy rain and strong to gale force winds eastwards across the UK before the associated frontal systemsclear the southeast of England during the early hours of Saturday.
“A band of heavy rain, reaching the west coast of Scotland, will spread eastwards across the rest of Scotland during the day, with the rain turning increasingly to snow as it moves eastwards.
“The snow and heavy rain will also be accompanied by gale force winds, which may lead to localised disruption due to coastal flooding.
“The public should be aware of the likelihood of a spell of disruptive wintry weather, with impacts to travel and perhaps also to power supplies.”
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| Storm Brigid will bring 'apocalyptic' conditions to the UK [SWNS] |
One surf forecasting website described the approaching storm as "apocalyptic" and warned it would the most damaging and dangerous storm to hit the south west in years.
The Environment Agency also warned of the risk of coastal flooding over the next few days and issued 159 flood alerts and 29 more serious flood warnings.
A spokesman said: “A low pressure system combining with high tides could cause coastal flooding around England over the weekend.
“Strong winds and large waves will increase the risk of spray and wave over-topping in coastal areas during this period and some disruption from coastal flooding is possible.
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| Motorists have been warned to expect chaos this weekend [PA] |
“The Environment Agency and Met Office are continuing to monitor the situation closely. Local authorities will respond to any reports of surface water flooding.”
To add to the misery, plunging temperatures in the north will bring bitter winter gales, blizzards and more than eight inches of snow.
Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel, said parts of the highlands of Scotland are even at risk of potentially catastrophic “avalanches”.
He warned Brigid could pack a punch on a par with December’s storm Emily which saw gusts of 142mph last parts of Scotland.
He said: “Blizzard conditions will develop over the Highlands with heavy rain sweeping across southern to eastern Britain in the afternoon and overnight.
“More than 20cm of snow is also likely over the southern Highlands and Grampians with significant drifting bringing an increasing risk of avalanches.
“The centre of Brigid will bring gales and squally showers to the rest of Britain on Saturday afternoon.
“More wet and windy weather is edging east on Monday, and we can expect more stormy spells of weather later next week, especially Thursday and Friday.”
Forecasters warned the entire country faces yet another day of heavy rain before the full force of the Atlantic storm hits on Saturday.
A deep low pressure system off the coast is timed to coincide with high tides sparking warnings of colossal coastal storm surges.
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| Anne Bourmer wades through flood water outside her home in Hooe, East Sussex [PA] |
Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Vantage Weather Services, said ferocious storms threaten to hold out until the end of next week.
He said a deep area of low pressure currently hurtling towards the UK will unleash 90mph gales and bring inches of rain in a mater of hours.
He said: “A very intense low pressure system is coming in from the Atlantic which is going to affect the whole of the country.
“The weekend and into Monday and Tuesday is looking very bad with another battering due at the end of next week.
“Fierce winds along the coast will whip up large waves capable of breaching defences, in colder parts of the north the rain will turn to snow.”
Netweather forecaster Jo Farrow said: “Friday night rush hour will be miserable with strong southerly winds and heavy rain and sleet. Conditions on the roads will be difficult.
“As that clears there could be some stormy weather for southern Britain on Saturday as another low pressure moves in, bringing westerly gales through the Channel.” -
Express.
The Wettest January In 100 YEARS As Britain Is Soaked By Double The Normal Rainfall.
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Historic data: A large area from East Devon to Kent and inland across
parts of the Midlands has
already seen twice the average rainfall for
January. |
Southern England has seen the wettest January since records began more than 100 years ago, official statistics show.
By Tuesday – with three days of the month still to go – an area from Hampshire to Kent surpassed the highest rainfall record since the Met Office first compiled records in 1910.
Most parts of the UK have seen far more than the average rainfall for the month, with many areas experiencing double.
Further downpours brought flooding to several areas yesterday, including Twickenham in West London. And another band of heavy rain will sweep across the country today, causing yet more flooding as it falls on already saturated ground.
This morning there were 43 flood warnings in place, up from 35 last night, and 162 less serious flood alerts.
In Wales, students in seafront halls of residence at Aberystwyth University are being evacuated today until 4pm on Monday as a precaution.
Flood barriers have been put up at Frankwell in Shrewsbury to protect against a rise in river levels on the Severn after heavy rain in Shropshire on Tuesday, and temporary defences are also set to be erected at Bewdley on the Severn.
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| Trouble ahead: A Nasa satellite image shows the huge storm over the Atlantic heading for the UK. |
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| Walking on: People take cover under umbrellas from the snow falling on the streets of Birmingham city centre. |
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This month: South-east and central-southern England has received more
than twice its average rainfall -
with 175.2mm (6.9in) between January 1
and 28. |
Over the weekend, fierce winds, torrential rain and a tidal surge are set to bring more misery – including to areas such as the Somerset Levels already hit by weeks of severe flooding. Gales and huge waves could swamp coastal flood defences and sea walls, flood properties and cause travel chaos.
A storm will sweep in at 60mph from the Atlantic this morning and most parts of the UK will see heavy rain by lunchtime. More than an inch is expected to fall in a few hours, heralding at least six more days of unsettled weather.
Coastal and tidal areas of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Bristol and south Gloucestershire are also at an increased risk of flooding, the Environment Agency said.
The rest of Gloucestershire, parts of the South East, the North West and Yorkshire and Hull coast will also be affected by the wind, rain and high tides in the next few days.
Flood barriers were erected in Shrewsbury last night to protect against a rise in the level of the Severn. The Environment Agency issued 35 flood warnings and 164 flood alerts. The Met Office issued an amber alert for the South West and yellow alerts stretching across the South Coast and into parts of the Midlands.
Experts say there is no sign of the unsettled weather dispersing for at least ten days, making it likely the country will have endured the wettest winter on record by the end of February.
Southern England saw nearly 7in (175.2mm) of rain between January 1 and 28. The previous record for the region, in January 1988, was 6.2in (158.2mm).
The rainfall across the South West and south Wales reached 8.76in (222.6mm), making January 2014 the fifth wettest on record and wettest since 1995.
Even in Suffolk, a dry area of the country, it has rained for 29 days this month, the highest since records began.
Today, as much as 1.6in (40mm) is expected to fall across the South West, west Wales and southern England.
High tides will leave coastal areas in the South West at risk of flooding, the EA said, and parts of South East England, the North West and Yorkshire and Hull coast will also be affected by the wind, rain and high tides in the next few days.
A Met Office spokesman said: ‘For the UK as a whole, 6.48in (164.6mm) of rain has fallen so far this month, 35 per cent above the long-term average.’
Dr Andrew Barrett, of the University of Reading, said: ‘There’s effectively a storm factory over the Atlantic, caused by cold polar air pressing up against warm, tropical air, causing weather systems to form.
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Compared: The weather system has been dubbed 'Take Two Hercules'
(right), following the Hercules
storm on January 6. Pictured is a chart
of surf height in feet. |
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Not getting through: Another driver was rescued from near Ingatestone in Essex
where his van became stuck in 5ft of water. |
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| Weather for ducks - and dogs: Even wellies did not provide enough protection from the elements for this dog walker. |
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Up they go: Homes along the river in Yalding, Kent, as the river levels
rise around the village
and more heavy rain sweeps across the country. |
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Moved around: Saltmoor pumping station near Burrowbridge, Somerset, which has been
badly affected by flooding in recent weeks |
‘These have then been steered across Britain by a strong jet stream. The next week to ten days shows no sign of a change... this will almost certainly be the wettest winter on record.’
Farmer and Glastonbury Festival host Michael Eavis blamed the flooding of the Somerset Levels on a decision to halt river dredging over a period of many years.
Mr Eavis, whose farm is on higher land and has not been affected by floods, said that the annual festival will be able to go ahead this year.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: 'Years ago, the Environment Agency took over from the regional drainage board and they decided that the riverbanks were all full of life and everything, and so they stopped the dredging. They sold all these marvellous machines that were made in Lincoln called draglines - fantastic machines, real British engineering - and they sold them off for scrap.
'There were about 50 machines and they were sold for nothing, which was a terrible, terrible decision. But it was an environmental decision in order to preserve the riverbank life - river oysters and little voles and things.'
Mr Eavis rejected the argument that the impact of this January’s heavy rain could not have been predicted.
'It floods every winter here now,' he said. 'It’s not a 100-year thing. It floods every single year and it never used to. For the sake of the meadows and the wild flowers and the fields and the farmers and the cows, this drainage has to be done. There’s no other way of doing it.
'The choice is to abandon the farmland and let it all flood and leave it all to wading birds. [Farming] is so fundamentally important and an essential part of the Somerset Levels and the alternative is a terrible, terrible prospect.
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More rain on the way: Environment Agency staff carry sandbags to protect homes
next to the River Parrett in Burrowbridge. |
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Difficult time: General view of flooded land near Burrowbridge,
Somerset. Heavy rain and high tides
are expected to cause further
flooding this weekend. |
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| Assistance: The woman was smiling as she was helped by other people as Yalding in Kent was hit by flooding. |
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Wet wet wet: Flooded fields around the River Tone seen from Windmill
Hill, Somerset,
yesterday as flooding persists on the levels in the
South West. |
'We were trying to launch a drainage scheme last September and we were getting a little bit of permission to do something, but it was stopped. Now the
Prime Minister is behind it, we need to get the machines from somewhere and get the work done. It’s too late now and it’s too wet at the moment, but for next winter I’m sure it will be done during the summer time of 2014. Thank God, by the end of 2014 going into 2015 we will be OK again.'
Some 13 alerts were active inside the M25, with the most central one being for the River Thames from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir in West London.
High tides of at least 40ft were expected this evening in Cardiff and Weston-Super-Mare on the west coast of England and Wales, and 31ft in Liverpool.
Surfing forecast website Magic Seaweed has dubbed the weather system ‘Take Two Hercules’, following the Hercules storm on January 6.
Its editor Ed Timberley told MailOnline today: ‘The tides are incredibly high. They are right at the maximum range.
‘The peak of the storm is hitting on Saturday in terms of the swell. You're looking at 30ft conditions near the shore, and 50ft-plus out to sea.
‘The tides are at their highest level on Saturday night. This is a storm right up there in the top 1 per cent in terms of swell size.
‘You’ve got a perfect scenario for storm surges in coastal towns, and a lot of these places are already suffering from the previous set of storms.’
Specialist vehicles were being brought in so troops can deliver food to stricken villagers, transport people and deliver sandbags.
The Ministry of Defence has deployed military planners to help Somerset County Council, with soldiers on the ground in the area from this morning.
Up to an inch of rain could fall across the Somerset Levels throughout tomorrow, with strong winds of up to 60mph forecast by MeteoGroup.
The Environment Agency had 166 flood alerts and 32 flood warnings in place this morning across England and Wales, with most in the South.
Some 13 alerts were active inside the M25, with the most central one being for the River Thames from Putney Bridge to Teddington Weir in West London.
High tides of at least 40ft were expected this evening in Cardiff and Weston-Super-Mare on the west coast of England and Wales, and 31ft in Liverpool.
Specialist vehicles were being brought in so troops can deliver food to stricken villagers, transport people and deliver sandbags.
The Ministry of Defence has deployed military planners to help Somerset County Council, with soldiers on the ground in the area from this morning.
The Army is currently on standby to help villages cut off by the floods, and military planners yesterday met with council officials and emergency services to discuss how to bring relief to stranded communities. Around 40 properties have been flooded, the EA said.
Speaking to the BBC after a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said last night: ‘The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Local Government are discussing how we could deploy specialist vehicles which could help some of those villages which have been cut off, to help people travel backwards and forwards, to get fuel and food in and out, and to help with transport from dry land.
‘And secondly, there will also be help with sandbags which could help prevent further flooding.’
Pat Flaherty, Somerset County Council deputy chief executive, said last night the Army had been providing much-welcomed advice and operational support, and had visited flood-stricken communities.
But the council decided that current needs are being met by the fire service and the British Red Cross, which together are supplying 10 additional pumps, hovercraft and a high-sided 4x4 Unimog vehicle to deliver aid, while the military will remain on standby if the situation worsens.
He said: 'The military have come in at short notice, worked with our teams to assess what’s needed and what’s required and the fire service has met that need through its national specialist vehicles and trained staff.
'With potential flooding coming up over the weekend and flooding ongoing for weeks ahead, we now have any military help and support very much on call.
'The military have been involved in this incident for a period of time through the co-ordination group that we have. They have been there, they have been advising and they have been observing.'
Chief Superintendent Caroline Peters, of Avon and Somerset Police, who is chairman of the strategic co-ordination group, said she was confident civil authorities could manage.
She said: 'What the military can bring is a very quick response with additional resources should we require them.
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Orange and red: The Environment Agency had 166 flood alerts and 32 flood
warnings
in place yesterday across England and Wales, up to 43 today. |
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An amateur photographer captured this once-in-a-lifetime image of a lightning bolt striking over Tower Bridge
during a recent storm. Daoud Fakhri happened to be testing out a new lens for his camera by taking pictures
in Central London when he caught the scene last Saturday. The impressive shot - which has now been
distributed by the London News Pictures agency. |
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Back in business: Skiers and snowboarders on the slopes at Lecht Ski
Centre in the
Cairngorms yesterday after snow levels finally allowed
them to open. |
'At this stage though, we are very comfortable with the civil contingencies that we have in place and the resources we have, we can manage this.'
Mr Paterson was met with hostility when he visited Somerset on Monday, with farmers, politicians and church leaders demanding immediate action to alleviate what furious residents described as ‘Third World’ conditions.
He said yesterday the county council had only asked for assistance ‘for the first time today’.
But a council spokesman said the authority had been discussing with the military for weeks the possibility of bringing in manpower, sandbags and amphibious vehicles.
John Osman, Conservative leader of Somerset County Council, said military might would give beleaguered residents the chance to repair their battered properties, with the village of Muchelney cut off since the turn of the year because of flooded roads.
He said: ‘The council had actually planned to get some amphibious vehicles in, paid for by public money, because this situation really needed to be sorted out.
'People's homes and properties have been under flood water for weeks.
‘We were due to place an order imminently, but the Government saying the military will be involved has saved the public purse that money.’
Mr Paterson's announcement about Army intervention came after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged rapid action to deal with the crisis, promising that dredging of rivers would start as soon as the present waters could be reduced to a safe level.
Pressed by local MPs Jeremy Browne and David Heath at Commons questions, Mr Cameron said more pumps would be brought in to remove water as soon as there is capacity in rivers to support it.
And he promised that departments across Whitehall, including Transport, Communities and Local Government, and the Treasury, would work together to crack the problem.
Many parts of the Levels have been flooded since Christmas and there are fears it could be many months before the water is completely pumped away.
EA teams have been running dozens of pumps 24 hours a day to drain an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of water (equivalent to 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools) off the Levels.
In Muchelney, one of the villages cut off on the Somerset Levels, residents have been trying to carry on with their lives as normally as possible, despite being stranded since Christmas.
Local resident Nigel Smith has been making use of a taxi boat operated by the fire brigade, and said the level of response was now 'terrific'.
Drainage experts blame two decades of under-investment in flood defence work for turning the Levels into a ‘disaster area’ and said it was ‘very, very urgent’ that rivers are dredged to prevent more damage to homes, livelihoods and wildlife.
The EA has come under fire from MPs and local councils, but insists that increased dredging of the rivers would not have prevented the recent flooding and was ‘often not the best long-term or economic solution’.
Flooding experts have also warned that dredging would not have helped the situation.
Hannah Cloke, a flooding expert from the University of Reading, said: ‘The Prime Minister's assertion that dredging will provide a long-term solution to flooding is just not backed up by the evidence.
‘Dredging increases the carrying capacity of river channels, helping more water to flow downstream.
‘But carrying capacity of rivers is just one small part of an area's drainage pattern and its susceptibility to flooding. Land use, topography, underlying geology, and above all, rainfall levels are also relevant.
‘Given the amount of rain that has fallen, you could have doubled the carrying capacity of every drainage channel in Somerset, at huge cost, and large parts would still have flooded.’
Mr Heath, the Liberal Democrat MP for Somerset and Frome, welcomed the Army's assistance and the promise of dredging in the future.
He told the Daily Telegraph: ‘It seems that we have a real sense of urgency now from the Government as to what we need in Somerset.’
Mr Heath said he had suggested at the weekend involving the military, adding: ‘We have the RNAS Yeovilton, the commando helicopter force, on our doorstep.
'We have got 40 Commando Royal Marines just up the road and we could certainly use, I think, Royal Engineer support as well.’
The Prime Minister's promise was welcomed by council bosses and campaign groups fighting to stop the flooding.
Mr Osman said: ‘We have lobbied hard to get national attention, we are in a major incident due to the extent and length of time that much of the county is flooded.
‘Now we have the PM behind us, people can start to believe that real action, dredging the rivers, sorting the drainage systems, protecting our communities will really happen. I am delighted to hear this.’
John Williams, leader of Taunton Deane Borough Council, also praised the move and called for any decisions to be made in partnership with local councils and agencies trying to find a long-term solution to the flooding problem.
Edwin White, chairman of the Royal Bath and West of England Society, called for water management of the Somerset Levels to be given back to local people from the EA.
He said: ‘The (EA) has failed miserably and I think the Government ought to welcome with open arms some self-help from within the community.’
Rev Jane Twitty said she and fellow Somerset residents had been using boats to get about during the flooding.
Heating fuel is running out for those who are not on mains gas and children are cold and wet when they get home, she added.
She told BBC Breakfast the community was ‘getting tired now’ and would welcome help from the military.
She said: ‘I am sure they will but there will be questions asked about why it took so long to help them.
‘I think they will be hoping they can be more flexible about times they will be coming in and out because the boat stops at 4pm.’
Mr Heath said it was ‘very welcome news that the military are going to lend a hand’.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘It is simply getting people in and out and goods.
'If they can give us a few extra pairs of hands to help the people who have been working so hard down on the Levels for the past few weeks.
‘We are expecting another high spring tide at the weekend along with a lot more rain.
‘Where there is specialist equipment I would certainly like to see the engineers see what they can do to improve access.’
Mr Paterson will chair another meeting of the Cobra committee this afternoon to discuss the flooding situation, Downing Street revealed.
Asked whether the Prime Minister felt that the Environment Agency's response to the floods had been inadequate, David Cameron's official spokesman told a Westminster media briefing: ‘A number of agencies, including the Environment Agency, have been working hard in response to the situation which communities are facing.
‘On dredging, as the Prime Minister said, that needs to be done as soon as it is safe to do so, and that will be done. And then I'm sure, as you would expect, once we have helped the communities through the immediate challenges that they face, we will across government, working with local authorities, look at what lessons can be learned.’
The spokesman denied that there was a dispute with the Environment Agency over the need for dredging once the floods abate.
‘The decision around dredging immediately, once the water levels make it safe to do so, is one that we think certainly is very important and it's one that the Environment Agency agree with.’
WATCH: No let up for flood-hit parts of Britain as more rain on the way.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had confidence in Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith, the spokesman said: ‘I think it is right that he continues to provide leadership to the Environment Agency.
‘The Environment Agency has a very important role alongside other agencies in responding to the desperate situation we see in Somerset, as well as the wider repairs and ongoing investment in other parts of the country that have suffered over the recent period.’
In Muchelney, which is one of the villages cut off on the Somerset Levels, residents have been trying to carry on with their lives as normally as possible, despite being cut off since Christmas.
Local resident Nigel Smith was making use of a taxi boat operated by the fire brigade.
‘We had the flooding, we knew what the situation would be and that was disconcerting and nobody came near us,’ Mr Smith said.
‘We've got the fire brigade here and we have got the communications backwards and forwards.
‘It's brilliant. The level of response now is terrific. The Devon and Somerset Fire Service have been marvellous.’
Mr Smith described the issue of dredging the Somerset Levels as ‘complicated’ but said if it reduced the water levels by only a couple of inches, it was worth it.
‘It's a complicated subject and I think a lot of it to do with the dredging and sending the Army in is largely a political statement to satisfy people's justifiable complaints,’ he said.
‘The dredging will help a little bit but that's all we need - a little bit. It does it every year but not normally to this extent.
‘We normally get one or two roads closed every year and occasionally every 10 years we get all four roads closed.
‘Dredging would lower the flooding by an inch or two and that's all we really need to save those people in the village that have flooded.’ -
Daily Mail.
