The Met Office has warned the “worst is yet to come” as Greater Manchester is set to brace for yet more heavy rain and flooding amid a ‘severe’ yellow weather alert.
Parts of the UK see up to a month’s rainfall in 24 hours – with a warning for rain in place until Thursday morning (May 23) across north west England.
Forecasters warned the storms on Wednesday could mean ‘fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely’ which could ’cause a danger to life’, with heavy rain likely cause delays or cancellations on trains and bus services over the coming days as well as difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
READ MORE Greater Manchester weather updates with ‘danger to life’ alert issued as Met Office trigger ‘severe’ amber warning
Tom Morgan, a meteorologist at the Met Office, has said the ‘worst is yet to come’ for parts of the UK, including in Greater Manchester and the north west.
He said: “There was a lot of rainfall overnight in the north-west and southern Scotland, as well as in areas such as the Midlands, East Anglia and the Home Counties.
“The wettest area was Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire which saw 68.8mm in the last 24 hours. That’s almost a month’s rainfall in one day. For comparison, most other areas have seen an average of half a month’s rain in the same amount of time.
“But there is a lot of rain still to come in the next 12 to 24 hours, particularly in north Wales and north-west England. There could be some flooding in north Wales until midday on Thursday.”
Jonathan Day, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Heavy and persistent rain means significant inland flooding is probable in parts of the North West of England and possible more widely today and into tomorrow. Significant surface water flooding is also possible across the South of England, where heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and ready to respond, including through the possible operation of flood basins in the Greater Manchester area to store water.
“We urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”
Conditions are then expected to improve as the low pressure responsible for the wet weather begins to ease off, with a ‘mix of sunshine and showers’ over the bank holiday weekend.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
