Much of UK placed on flood alert by Met Office

Friday, September 5, 2008

The United Kingdom's government weather agency, the Met Office, has put much of the UK on flood alert with severe weather warnings for the majority of England and Wales and much of Northern Ireland.

The office has said that a total of ten regions have a greater than eighty percent chance of "severe or extreme weather." These regions are Southwest Scotland, Lothian and Borders, Northern Ireland, Wales, Northwest England, Northeast England, Yorkshire and Humber, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, Southwest England and London and Southeast England.

It is possible that Southeast Scotland may also be affected by the severe weather. The Met Office report that "there is a moderate risk of a severe weather event affecting south-eastern Scotland. Rain, heavy at times, will continue during Saturday, giving further accumulations of 20 to 25 mm in places."

A total of 63 flood watches and 25 flood warnings have also been issued, in addition to the severe weather warnings.

According to a spokesperson for the Environment Agency, "the threat of flooding is likely to increase, we cannot say how serious it might be until the rain has stopped falling."

A person experiencing the floods in Wales said that "it is absolute mayhem. The rain has been unbelievable all day. The roads are flooded and it has just been terrible traffic everywhere."

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Sources

"Storm Chaos: UK On Flood Alert" — Sky News, September 5, 2008
"Autumn storm wreaks havoc" — The Press Association, September 5, 2008
Press Release: "Weather warnings overview" — Met Office, Retrieved September 5, 2008

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