‘Unsettled’ week ahead with more rain forecast

‘Unsettled’ week ahead with more rain forecast

The UK is in for another wet and unsettled week as communities already hit by flooding remain on high alert after heavy downpours left rivers swollen.

Met Office meteorologist Sophie Yeomans said while Sunday is forecast to be dry and sunny across the UK, more rain is expected to hit the country overnight.

Ms Yeomans said a weather system moving across Europe will cause a “fair amount” of rainfall across England and Wales throughout the week.

“It is going to be an unsettled week in terms of rain,” she said.

The rain is forecast to reach Northern Ireland first on Sunday evening before hitting Wales and north-west England later in the night and then spreading across the rest of the UK into Monday morning.

Parts of the UK are still dealing with the aftermath of widespread flooding which hit towns across the Midlands and northern England on Thursday and Friday.

Several areas were deluged with one month’s worth of rain in a day and a woman died after being swept up in floodwaters.

The body of Annie Hall, the former High Sheriff of Derbyshire, was found in the River Derwent on Friday morning after she was engulfed by floodwater in Darley Dale, near Matlock.

Many parts of Fishlake, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, on Sunday remained under 3ft (one metre) of water from the nearby River Don and only tractors were able to get in by road.

About half of the 700 residents evacuated as water began to inundate the village during heavy rain, but some people spent Saturday in the Hare and Hounds pub, with others seeking shelter and company in the church.

Autumn weather Nov 9th 2019
Flooding in Bentley, Doncaster (Danny Lawson/PA)

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for heavy rain on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

The warnings cover the same areas that are still dealing with the aftermath from Thursday and Friday’s downpours stretching from Yorkshire to Derbyshire and the East Midlands.

“Some catchments in the north are still sensitive at the moment,” Ms Yeomans said.

Seven severe “danger to life” flood warnings, all along the River Don in Yorkshire, remained in place on Sunday, according to the Environment Agency.

There were also 41 active flood warnings and 94 flood alerts.

Snow could fall in parts of Scotland on Sunday night and Wales could get a dusting later in the week, Ms Yeomans added.

The coldest night of autumn was recorded in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday night where the temperature dropped to minus 7.1C.

Northern Railway on Sunday warned people in South Yorkshire that some routes are likely to remain closed because of flooding until further notice.

“Inspections have taken place this morning on those routes still affected by flooding and there is still a significant amount of work required before the tracks are cleared for trains,” a spokesman said in a statement.

“While flooding in the area continues to subside, tracks in several locations remain under water, with debris and damage becoming apparent as the flood waters drain.”

The following routes are affected: Doncaster to Scunthorpe, Sheffield to Goole, Sheffield to Doncaster and Sheffield to Leeds via Moorthorpe.

– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –