News Beat
Storm Chandra map: Where heavy rain and flooding hit UK after ‘danger to life’ warning issued
Storm Chandra brought weather chaos with strong winds, heavy rain and snow battering much of the UK – with its impact continuing to cause major problems in some parts of the country.
On Tuesday night, a “major incident” of flooding was declared in Somerset by the local council, which said it was working with the Environment Agency and emergency services to support communities impacted by heavy rain and extensive flooding overnight.
Storm Chandra broke several new January daily rainfall records and dozens of flights were cancelled on Tuesday across Scotland and Northern Ireland, due to strong winds. Meanwhile, “horrendous” flooding trapped vehicles and caused travel disruptions and school closures. A woman was taken to hospital after a tree fell on a car in the Snowhill Road area, Lisbellaw on Tuesday morning.
Following the storm, the Met Office has issued tellow weather warnings have been issued for ice on Wednesday morning covering much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and southern and central Scotland.
The agency said: “Clearing skies Tuesday night will allow temperatures to fall below freezing soon after midnight and on Wednesday morning. After the recent wet weather, icy patches are likely to develop on some untreated surfaces.”
Further rain is predicted on Thursday to lead to more flooding and transport disruption in southwest England.
There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater to cause a danger to life, the Met Office has warned.
The Met Office said: “A band of rain is likely to reach southwest England on Thursday afternoon then spread quickly northeast across the rest of the warning area by evening. The rain is only likely to last for a few hours in any one location but will be heavy at times.
“A further 10 to 20 mm is likely quite widely, and in the wetter spots, particularly across the moors, a further 20 to 40 mm is possible and will fall onto already saturated ground.”
