Met Office upgrades Storm Dennis warning over fears of flooding this weekend

Met Office upgrades Storm Dennis warning over fears of flooding this weekend

02/13/2020

Storm Dennis will bring severe flooding and heavy rain to much of the UK this weekend, the Met Office has warned.

The forecaster has issued several amber warnings for torrential rain this Saturday and Sunday.

The Met Office has warned that homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely and there's a good chance communities will be cut off by flooded roads.

Four separate amber warnings are in place on Sunday – two which cover the south of England, one for south Wales and another in the north west of England.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said Storm Dennis, the fourth named storm of the 2019-20 season, would bring severe gales and heavy rain that will push east across the country.


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Saturday is expected to be "the most hazardous day", he said.

"Whilst it's going to be very windy, they do look like they will be a touch down to what we saw with Storm Ciara," he added.

Overnight last night heavy rain has caused rivers to burst across the country this morning, flooding high streets and homes.

Pictures and video show Truro city centre, in Cornwall, submerged in water, with people in nearby Fowey wading through knee-high waters.

The amber warnings state: "Spells of heavy and prolonged rain are expected to affect parts of England and Wales over the weekend with a higher likelihood of impacts now expected in some areas.

"Around 20-40 mm of rain will fall widely with 50-80 mm likely across parts of northern and southern England.

"Over the higher ground of Wales and southwest England, 120-140 mm of rain is possible in a few locations.

"This rain is expected to fall across areas already wet from recent rainfall."



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Roads have flooded in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Devon. Some parts of Devon are under several inches of water amid reports of car crashes.

Wind speeds reached 97mph under Storm Ciara and Mr Burkill said gusts from Storm Dennis will hit 60 to 70mph in exposed spots.

Strong winds and heavy rain will still be present on Sunday, with the whole of the UK covered by yellow weather alerts.

Wet and windy conditions in the north west will later on push south-eastwards across the whole country on Friday.

Mr Burkill said: "The unsettled weather won't subside massively any time soon".

The weekend's weather runs the risk of bringing further flooding to parts of the country, with the Environment Agency urging people "to stay safe and remain vigilant".



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It has also warned people against taking "dangerous" so-called storm selfies.

Scotland has recorded its coldest night of the year so far as temperatures plunged to minus 10.2C.

Forecasters said the temperature was recorded overnight into Thursday in Braemar, Aberdeenshire.

The Met Office tweeted: "In northern Scotland it's been very £cold, with a low of -10.2C at Braemar, making it the coldest night of the year so far."

It came amid a weather warning for snow in southern Scotland.

The Met Office yellow warning ran from 2am until 11am on Thursday, and said up to 8cm of snow could fall.

Braemar is the joint holder of the record for the coldest temperature ever seen in the UK.

It recorded a temperature of minus 27.2C on January 10, 1982, which was equalled in Altnaharra, Sutherland, on December 30, 1995.

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