UK weather live: Flooding chaos as roads and schools shut with Met Office warning of more heavy rain
The Environment Agency has issued 32 flood warnings after Monday’s deluge
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Flood warnings continue across parts of the UK, after extreme rainfall on Sunday and Monday caused roads and schools to close and wreaked transport chaos on commuters.
The autumn equinox coincided with heavy downpours as the Met Office warned “heavy rain is expected to produce some flooding”, with the Environment Agency issuing 32 warnings and 94 flood alerts.
On Monday, an amber and yellow weather warning remained in place across most of England and Wales until the end of Monday, with several schools up and down the country expected to remain closed on Tuesday.
The A421 in Bedfordshire is closed in both directions between A6 and M1 J13 due to flooding. Also, the A505 in Hitchin, Elton Way in Watford and the A404 between Chorleywood and Rickmansworth were all shut on Monday morning for the safety of road users, Hertfordshire County Council said.
Dan Harris, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office said on Wednesday and Thursday “unsettled weather is set to return as further frontal systems move in from the Atlantic, bringing showers or longer spells of rain to many parts of the UK”.
More than 100 flood alerts and warnings in place
There are currently 22 flood warnings in place this evening, covering areas where flooding is actively expected to happen.
There are another 87 flood alerts in place, which means that flooding is possible.
Both lists have been steadily rising throughout the day.
Met Office issues rush hour warning
The Met Office has urged commuters to take care on their journey home this evening.
Still lots of rainfall around for rush hour so take care if you plan on travelling this eveningpic.twitter.com/H8AOtkPYjS
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 23, 2024
If you need to drive in this weather, here are the steps you should take
While you should avoid driving if you live in a flooded area, if you need to drive here is the advice from the National Highways agency:
- Check the availability of service areas along your route
- Make sure you know how to operate your headlights and fog lights
- Check your vehicle
- Pack a seasonal kit
- Check the weather forecast. If heavy downpours are expected, consider delaying your journey until it clears
- During periods of extreme weather, adjust when you travel to avoid the worst days and times of day if possible
- Check traffic conditions on the National Highways website and on Twitter
When you’re on the road, it advises:
- If it’s time for your wipers, it’s time to slow down
- Use dipped headlights, especially if visibility is seriously reduced
- The roads will be more slippery than usual, so give yourself more time to react - increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front to at least four seconds
- Look out for standing water - adjust your driving before and after encountering any
- Keep your eyes on the road at all times - spray from other vehicles can suddenly reduce your visibility
- Visibility affects others too, so anticipate their actions and be prepared
- During thunderstorms, sudden gusty winds can unsettle vehicles. Keep your speed down and give other road users more room
The RAC called on drivers to take “extreme care” and avoid driving through water deeper than 10cm.
Farm animals rescued from the rain by community
Dozens of people rushed to a farm to save animals after it was hit by flooding with some wading into chest-height water to drag sheep to safety.
Joanna Johnson started to break down in tears as she told the PA news agency how 50 neighbours turned up at Moreteyne’s Retreat in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, at 8pm on Sunday in response to an emergency WhatsApp message she had sent.
The 54-year-old said her miniature ponies had to swim out of the flood water and the sheep were dragged through to safety.
Members of the community and emergency services were helping at the farm until about 4am, building temporary pens for some of the animals by the roadside and finding short-term places for the others, including a school playground for two ponies.
Ms Johnson said parts of the farm had flooded in January this year but this time the whole farm was underwater.
She said: “We’ve spent the last five years building the place up, we opened it up for free for the villagers after Covid, we were hoping to do that more often as there’s so many families that can’t afford to go to a farm.
“We flooded in January this year and the fire brigade got all the animals out, they were here for 12 hours. Yesterday it was like a river coming off the A421 and then the pond burst and within 15 minutes the entire farm was under water.
“I put a message out online and the villagers flocked here so fast. The miniature ponies had to swim out. The only way we could save the sheep was to pull them out the water. I felt so helpless. My eldest ewe collapsed last night and I didn’t think she was going to make it but she’s up and about now.”
One of the helpers was a 15-year-old boy who was at the farm with his mother until 2am, Ms Johnson said.
Five day weather forecast shows rain throughout the week
The Met Office’s five-day weather forecast for the country shows rain throughout the week
This Evening and Tonight:
Heavy rain will ease from the west across England and parts of Wales. Meanwhile, showery rain will extend south across northern and central parts of Scotland. Otherwise, it will be a rather cloudy night with the odd light shower.
Tuesday:
Showery rain will affect Scotland tomorrow, extending to parts of northern England later. Elsewhere it will be a brighter, though fresher day than on Monday, with a few showers developing.
Wednesday to Friday:
Wet and perhaps windy weather affecting most areas on Wednesday and Thursday. Northern Scotland should remain drier, and colder. A showery, blustery and chilly northerly airstream for all on Friday.
The weekend:
The upcoming weekend is expected to see a more settled picture overall as high pressure builds in from the southwest. However, cloud and patchy rain will probably quite quickly spread into the northwest, and is increasingly likely elsewhere by Sunday.
Next week:
Into the following week, unsettled conditions look most likely to return for many parts of the UK as Atlantic frontal systems arrive from the west. These would be expected to bring spells of rain, heavy in places, with a risk of strong winds. A more settled spell is possible, but less likely.
Temperatures are likely to be near to or below normal throughout, and it is likely to be notably cold at the start of this period, before temperatures recover.
Bedfordshire resident who saw car stuck in floodwater says flooding is area’s worst ever
A resident of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire saw a car stuck in floodwater on the A421 and said he had never seen flooding like it in the area.
Lee Elliott, 36, told the PA news agency: “I’ve never seen anything like it. We’ve lived here for about 10 years and that is the worst I’ve ever seen it.
“It has flooded there before, but nothing like that. It’s normally gone within a few hours.
“I was out last night helping push cars out of the floods because we came home quite late last night and saw the cars stuck in there, so we went down there to help them.”
Met Office warns of further rain after chaos caused by flash floods across the country
The Met Office has warned of more rain in the coming days after flash floods wreaked havoc across the UK, submerging roads and homes.
Several parts of the country, including Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and London, have been overwhelmed by floods after receiving more than a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours.
While Tuesday is expected to be quieter, deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris warned of further unsettled weather and heavy rain later in the week.
My colleague Rachel Hagan reports:
Met Office warns of further rain after chaos caused by flash floods in England
More unsettled weather and heavy rain is expected later in the week after a day of flash floods
Heavy rain expected again later in the week
While Tuesday is expected to be quieter, deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris warned of further unsettled weather and heavy rain later in the week.
He said: “Tuesday’s weather will be quieter across England and Wales, with just a few showers possible for both here and Northern Ireland. More frequent showers are expected across Scotland following some heavy rain in the far north overnight.
“Through Wednesday and Thursday, unsettled weather is set to return as further frontal systems move in from the Atlantic, bringing showers or longer spells of rain to many parts of the UK and a chance of strong winds in a few places.”
At least 260 flood reports in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Council has received as many as 260 flood reports from Saturday to today, with the majority centred around St Albans, Harpenden and Letchworth.
🚨 260 flood reports in Hertfordshire! 🚨
— Hertfordshire County Council (@hertscc) September 23, 2024
Our teams are working hard to respond.
Amber & Yellow weather warnings in place until 9pm.
Stay safe: avoid flood water, plan ahead, check on neighbours.
Report flooding at https://t.co/EE4mwR0NDO 🌧️ #HertsFloods #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/J3W9v9A6Bh
Latest on train delays with commuters facing nightmare
The severe weather is still causing several rail delays including on major commuter routes.
Heavy rain flooding the railway between Swindon and Chippenham has caused delays on the line. Trains running towards Chippenham may be cancelled or diverted between Swindon and Bristol Temple Meads.
Flooding is also impacting the lines between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, with trains travelling very slowly.
Services on the London Underground are beginning to return to normal after it saw partial suspensions and severe delays due to flooding.
There are now just minor delays on the Bakerloo and District lines. The latter remains part suspended between Turnham Green and Richmond.
The Metropolitan line is now fully open, but severe delays remain between Uxbridge and Baker Street. The Piccadilly line has also reopened, with severe delays between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge and minor delays between Acton Town and Heathrow Airports/Rayners Lane.
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