Met Office: ‘impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption’
In its most recent update, the Met Office has said “impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption as we go through today.”
Andy Page, Met Office chief meteorologist, is quoted as saying:
Impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption as we go through today, and multiple warnings are in place for wind and rain.
While the risk of any snowfall has now diminished, rainfall will affect much of the UK today, in particular some southwestern parts of England and South Wales, but the heaviest rain will ease from these areas through the day.
The strong southerly winds continue today and warnings are in place for central, southern and eastern England, Northern Ireland and western Scotland where gusts could peak at 60 mph and could even reach more than 70 mph along some exposed coasts.
He stated that “warnings could still be amended, possibly at short notice,” and urged peopel to check the latest forecasts.
Key events
PA Media reports National Highways has said the A5 in Northamptonshire is closed in both directions between the A43 (Towcester) and A422/A508 (Old Stratford) due to “severe flooding” in the area.
Northamptonshire Police have warned people in the area “while the flooding remains ongoing, please avoid all unnecessary travel and do not drive through floodwater of any depth – it is not worth the risk.”
In Yate in the west of England, BBC Bristol reports that about 100 properties were flooded overnight, and residents had to be evacuated.
PA Media reports that the most severe flood warnings, meaning there is danger to life, have been issued for the River Monnow in south-east Wales for Monmouth and Skenfrith.
In England, a severe flood warning has been issued for Billing Aquadrome and surrounding parks next to the River Nene in Northampton.
Here are some pictures from Pontypridd this morning, where businesses are being protected with sandbags.
A row is brewing in Pontypridd, where residents say they were not given enough warning of the impending storm, and that local services weren’t prepared.
One local person told the BBC “ there was no preemption of it by our council, our local authorities. We feel they’ve really, really dropped the ball on this one.”
Welsh first minister Eluned Morgan said it had been “a really difficult weekend.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough council leader Andrew Morgan said in a press conference on Sunday he was “amazed” that only a yellow warning had been given by the Met Office.
The Met Office has said that, as with every named storm, it will carry out a review of its forecasts and warnings.
Network Rail has advised passengers of severe disruption between Milton Keynes and Rugby due to flooding at Northampton, after the the River Nene burst its banks.
Carole Bayliss, strategy director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “We’re very sorry to passengers disrupted by flooding in Northampton, which will mean major disruption on the West Coast Main Line today. While our teams monitor water levels and wait until it’s safe to fully assess the extent of flood damage to the railway, we’re urging passengers to check with National Rail Enquiries before travelling.”
Met Office: ‘impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption’
In its most recent update, the Met Office has said “impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption as we go through today.”
Andy Page, Met Office chief meteorologist, is quoted as saying:
Impacts from Storm Bert will continue to cause disruption as we go through today, and multiple warnings are in place for wind and rain.
While the risk of any snowfall has now diminished, rainfall will affect much of the UK today, in particular some southwestern parts of England and South Wales, but the heaviest rain will ease from these areas through the day.
The strong southerly winds continue today and warnings are in place for central, southern and eastern England, Northern Ireland and western Scotland where gusts could peak at 60 mph and could even reach more than 70 mph along some exposed coasts.
He stated that “warnings could still be amended, possibly at short notice,” and urged peopel to check the latest forecasts.
Great Western Railway has “suspended train services on all key routes”, and advised people not to travel.
The train operator says that “flooding and fallen trees have blocked access at key locations”, and says that tickets for today will be accepted on Tuesday and Wednesday “including on peak-time services” or claim a full refund.
South Wales bore the much of the brunt of the flooding .
A major incident was declared in the Rhondda Cynon Taf region on Sunday amid fears of a more significant impact than during Storm Dennis in 2020.
Between 200 and 300 properties in the area were affected by flooding, with local leaders expressing surprise at the extent of the rainfall.
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said it had been “a really difficult weekend”.
I think this is the second time that many of those have suffered as a result of the storm. There’s been huge investments since the last storm hit, so we’ve managed to protect lots more properties than last time. But obviously this is absolutely devastating just before Christmas for those people who have been impacted.”
Good morning and welcome to our blog covering the impact of Storm Bert with the UK braced for further disruption on Monday after “devastating” flooding over the weekend.
As PA Media reports, the last of the Met Office’s rain warnings ended at 11.59pm on Sunday but strong winds persist and rain from high ground will reach rivers, which could disrupt clean-up efforts.
More than 200 flood alerts remain in place for England and Wales and travel issues are set to continue.
Over the weekend, hundreds of homes were flooded, with roads turned into rivers and winds of up to 82mph recorded. At least five deaths have been reported in England and Wales since the storm hit.
