UK weather: 19 flood alerts in place as rain set to batter parts of country

The government has issued 19 flood alerts across England as the country is set to be lashed by heavy rain and gusty winds.

Areas in parts of Dorset, Northumberland, Suffolk and Essex are at threat of flooding, according to the Environment Agency.

However, while there are currently 19 flood alerts in place, this is down from the 37 that were in place on Wednesday evening.

August has got off to a wet start, with between 25mm and 30mm of rain falling across parts of the north east of England on Wednesday, while areas in London saw about 20mm, the Met Office said.

The rain has already resulted in flooding, with approximately a square mile in Wembley, north-west London, left under one-metre deep flood water, with firefighters called to rescue a man from a van and evacuate 19 people.

Yellow warnings

A yellow warning for rain for Northern Ireland has now been issued by the Met Office, beginning at 12am on Saturday and ending at midday the same day, with a chance of 40-60mm of rain falling in some spots.

This could mean flooding of train tracks and homes along with power cuts and road closures, according to the forecaster.

While Thursday is set to be generally a grey and breezy day, the worst of the gusts are set to arrive over the weekend.

A yellow warning for wind in parts of England and Wales is in placed from 6am on Saturday until 9pm the same day.

Gusts of up to 65mph are set to batter coasts as ferry and rail passengers are warned of cancellations and delays.

Parts of South Wales and south-west England could see gusts of up to 50mph while coastal areas are at risk of 60-65mph wind speeds, the weather service said.

Gusts of 30 to 35mph are likely, while wind speeds of up to 50mph could also hit the east near coastal areas.

There are no flood alerts in place in Scotland, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Met Office forecaster Amy Bokota said: “Heading into Friday, areas in the south-west will see an improvement, parts of Cornwall and Wales will see a decent day with sunny spells, although along the east coast there will be a risk of showers and the odd rumble of thunder too.

“In the evening a low pressure system will start to show it’s cards in Northern Ireland before it’s all change on Saturday, turning much wetter and windier across many parts of the country.”

When will the warm weather return?

After one of the wettest Julys on record, August has started in a similar fashion.

Grey and unsettled weather was the dominant theme for the UK last month but there could be some warmer and river weather to come next week – but it could only be temporary.

The Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, Steven Keates, explained: “For the latter half of next week, there are some signals of a shift in the jet stream which may allow for high pressure to build in for southern areas of the UK, increasing the likelihood of some drier weather, at least for a time.

“However, at this range, the details are quite uncertain and there’s still a chance of rain to areas further north.”