January the wettest since records began. Met Office: ‘30 January 2014 - Early Met Office statistics for January 2014 show that the southeast and central southern England region has already had its wettest January in records going back to 1910, with three days still to go.
A large area of southern England from East Devon to Kent and inland across parts of the midlands has already seen twice the average rainfall for the month. Southeast and central southern England has received more than twice its average rainfall with 175.2 mm of rain from 1 - 28 January. This beats the previous record of 158.2 mm set in January 1988. Further west across southwest England and south Wales the 222.6 mm of rainfall up to the 28th means January 2014 is already the 5th wettest on record and the wettest January since 1995 (224.4 mm). UK storms: Risk of groundwater floods. 13 February 2014Last updated at 10:18 GMT Groundwater levels are so high in some parts of the country that flooding is likely to persist for weeks or even months, experts say.
Scientists at the British Geological Survey (BGS) say levels are likely to keep rising even if there is no more rain, as so much water is soaking through the soil. It means an increased risk of groundwater flooding, where water seeps up through the ground because the earth is so saturated it cannot hold any more water. Expect no let-up in severe weather, UK forecasters warn. A Gurkha regiment helps place sandbags outside homes along the river Thames in Staines.
Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Violent storms will batter cliffs and promenades along the south coast this weekend, with tidal surges and gale-force winds set to cause more flooding for days to come. Forecasters warned that there would be no let-up in the severe weather as defence chiefs committed 5,000 military personnel to the flood relief mission. Two people were killed late on Friday in the stormy weather and the high winds left more than 16,000 homes in north Wales without power. A cruise ship passenger died and another was airlifted to shore after their 22,000-tonne vessel was hit by a freak wave in the English Channel. In Holborn, central London, a woman died and a man was taken to hospital after a building collapsed on to a car. A man also died in hospital on Friday night after being hit by a falling tree in his garden in Gwynedd during Wednesday's storm. Hurricane-force winds wreak chaos as floods continue across the UK. Hundred mile an hour winds have buffeted Wales, leaving tens of thousands of premises without power supplies and causing chaos on the road and rail networks in north-west England as storm havoc continues in Britain.
UK weather: Worst is yet to come as Atlantic storm Ruth to batter Britain this weekend bringing 80mph winds and 35ft waves - Home News - UK. Ruth, the worst of a "conveyor belt of storms" will bring winds of up to 80mph and as much as 40mm of rain.
The "absolute monster" storm means waves of up to 35 feet will smash the Cornish coast, forecasters from surf website magicseaweed.com said. The south of England and Wales is currently covered by a Met office severe weather warning for Saturday for gales, torrential rain and huge waves. Latest: Travel disruption, damage and more floods expected as Storm Ruth arrives Rain will fall for six hours in southern areas on Saturday and the Environment Agency has issued 194 flood warnings and two severe flood warnings, meaning danger to life.
UK weather: Floods could have devastating environmental impact – as animals drown or die from lack of food - Home News - UK. Noxious hydrogen sulphide fumes and lead poisoning are among the threats from floodwater contamination – while animals at almost all stages of the food chain, from insects to small mammals and birds, are already thought to be drowning or dying from lack of food.
Hedgehogs, badgers, voles, worms, birds, wood mice and bumblebees – all are said to be perishing, according to experts. Many animals could be poisoned by floodwater redistributing pesticides and toxic chemicals from industrial sites, a new report indicates. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, links floodplain contamination to lead poisoning in animals for the first time. Severe floods 'threaten food security', say farmers and environmental groups. Severe flooding threatens to undermine the country's food security, according to farmers and environmental groups, who today accuse the government of failing to address the effects of climate change on coastal and rural areas.
Climate change policy at risk because of denial and fear, Ed Davey warns. What Britain has to do if it doesn't want to live with floods (no, it's not dredging) UK floods: Cameron says 'money is no object'– live updates. Flood update: 03.02.14. Flood update: 5 February 2014. Flood update: 09.02.14. Flood update 10.02.14.
Summary and Outlook: 11 February 2014. IWA Bulletin January 2014. Quicklinks: IWA News / Other News / Work Parties / Events Top Story Recent Storms and Flooding The storms and flooding that hit the UK over the Christmas and New Year holidays have had a significant impact on some waterways, particularly in the South East.
Waterways affected include the Wey & Godalming Navigations (Surrey), Basingstoke Canal (Surrey and Hampshire), River Medway (Kent), the Thames and even IWA’s own Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation. Many river navigations further north have also been impassable at times, including the Severn, Nene, Great Ouse, Aire & Calder, Trent, Calder & Hebble and Yorkshire Ouse. Photo: Flooding at Thames Lock River Wey, 26th December 2013, courtesy of NT River Wey Navigations and Shalford Mill Facebook page. IWA News. IWA Bulletin Mid-February 2014. Quicklinks: IWA News / Other News / Work Parties / Events Top Story CRT Responds to Floods and Storms Photo: Flooding at Wallingford on the River Thames (photo by Bobby Silverwood)Canal & River Trust (CRT) has launched a National Canal Flood Appeal as flooding continues across the country.
Battered-britain-more-wet-weather-and-still-no-sign-of-leadership-9101711. Mr Paterson, speaking yesterday afternoon after the latest meeting of Cobra, the Government's emergency committee, promised that the Government was "offering full assistance" to emergency services and local councils.
"Five severe flood warnings are in place and I urge anyone living in an area at risk to remain vigilant and listen to the advice issued by the Environment Agency and emergency services," he said. The promise came as Met Office experts warned there was to be no let-up in the flooding misery being faced by many across the country with more wet weather on the way, following another day of high winds and rain yesterday. Today was expected to see a brief respite for some of the country, with sunny spells to the east of England, with strong winds easing overnight for many. Flooding: too little defence, too late, as the waters rise. Like the lines drawn by parents measuring the height of their growing children, there are chalked marks on the walls of the houses piled in a picturesque jumble along the lower streets of Yalding.
They have been drawn by residents scoring the progress of floodwaters through their homes over what has been the wettest month since records began and is heading towards being the wettest winter Britain has seen in 100 years. On Christmas Eve, this Domesday Book Kent village was deluged by riverwater and sewage that swirled close to two metres high in places, swallowing cars, dislodging sheds and climbing the stairs of Kevin Fox's townhouse into his family's first-floor kitchen.
"We got a lot of stuff upstairs when we knew it was coming," he said. "Worse things have happened to people, there's a lot worse off than us. Quiet year for disasters in USA; not so in Europe. For the first time in two decades, the world's costliest natural disasters in 2013 were not in the USA, according to a report released today by Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurance firm.
Last year, the most expensive weather disasters were in Europe, which included floods in central Europe and hailstorms in Germany. "This hasn't happened in the last 20 years," said Peter Höppe, head of geo risks research at Munich Re, which is based in Germany. Annual 2013. The following represents an assessment of the weather experienced across the UK during 2013 and how it compares with the 1981 to 2010 average. The annual statistics for 2013 are generally near average and unremarkable.
However, there were some significant weather events through the year. A late winter and exceptionally cold spring, with unseasonably late snowfalls, lead into a warm and sunny summer. October and December saw Atlantic storms that brought rain and at times very high winds, causing widespread disruption.