Blizzard Warning Amid Fears Of More Floods

Written By Unknown on Senin, 27 Januari 2014 | 20.49

Motorists and commuters have been warned of ice, sleet and snow as well as hail and thundery showers, with temperatures expected to plummet to around freezing across the UK.

And amid warnings of heavy rain, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson admitted the Government could have done more to help residents in parts of the country worst-affected by flooding - and that dredging of some rivers in the county should have happened.

Met Office ice conditions warning The Met Office's weather warning for UK

It means more misery for flood-hit areas with some communities in Somerset - where the council has declared a "major incident" - facing a fourth week under water.

Mr Paterson was visiting Northmoor Green in the county where he held crisis talks with council chiefs and farmers whose crops have been devastated by the recent stormy weather.

Facing tough questions from locals on the official response to the flooding, Mr Paterson told Sky News: "How shocking it is for people to be flooded and I really do appreciate the impact floods have had on people ... they are quite right to be angry."

He acknowledged the national guidelines on dredging were not appropriate for the Somerset Levels, large parts of which are below sea level.

In defence of the Environment Agency, Mr Paterson said it had protected a million homes and was "working incredibly hard".

He said he had asked local officials to present him with "a very clear action plan" within six weeks to enable him "to make a categoric decision once and for all" on a "long-term serious plan" for the area for the next 20 years.

Several counties including Hampshire and Dorset also remain at risk of flooding, while further snowfall is expected across Wales, Scotland and northern England.

Flood warnings and alerts in England and Wales The Environment Agency's flood alerts and warnings

The Environment Agency has issued more than 150 flood warnings and alerts across England and Wales.

Matthew Lay, national officer of Unison, said: "Far from offering any comfort to residents affected by flooding, Owen Patterson is a major part of the problem.

"He is overseeing massive cuts to the Environment Agency despite all the scientific evidence showing that climate change is a major reason for a rise in the number of floods.

"The Government must put in place an Environment Secretary who accepts that the risk of flooding is increasing year-on-year.

"Communities up and down the country will remain in danger until the Environment Agency is given adequate resources and] funding to prevent and handle disasters caused by floods."

A view of flood water surrounding the village of Muchelney in Somerset A view of flood water surrounding the village of Muchelney in Somerset

Temperatures are expected to fall to or just below freezing, according to the Met Office, which has warned of "blizzard conditions".

This will result in the risk of icy patches on roads and the potential for travel disruption.

Its chief forecaster said: "Rain or sleet is expected at lower levels however, above 250m, some wet snow is likely at times with perhaps 2-5 cm of snow accumulating, whilst above 400m a further 10 to 20cm is possible.

"Strong to gale force south to southeasterly winds will combine with heavy snow to result in blizzard conditions at times."

And with a band of rain across the country edging north-eastwards towards the far north-east of England and central and northern Scotland, the forecaster added: "With saturated ground and rivers already high in these areas there is the risk of some localised flooding."

A dusting of snow over the Northern Pennines Snowfall over Middleton-in-Teesdale

Fourteen serious flood warnings are in place for parts of the South West, South East, Midlands and North East with the Environment Agency advising people in affected areas to take immediate action.

The Somerset Levels, which run south from the Mendip Hills to the Blackdown Hills, are particularly vulnerable with 31,000 acres under water, as further heavy rain falls on already saturated ground.

There is also potential for further river flooding across the South West and southern counties including parts of Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, West Berkshire and Surrey into next week.

The Environment Agency is running more than 60 pumps around the clock to drain an estimated 65 million cubic metres of floodwater from the Levels.

A temporary pontoon has been erected near the village of Langport to allow residents to get to their homes and a boat service is ferrying people to and from work and school.

Twitter user Grant Kavanagh took this picture of a mini tornado in Knaphill Surrey. Twitter user Grant Kavanagh saw 'strange weather' in Knaphill, Surrey

As well as the flood alerts, parts of Scotland have been told to brace for strong winds gusting up to 80mph.

Nazaneen Ghafar, Sky News Weather Presenter, said: "Currently we have low pressure anchored to the north-west of the UK. This area of low pressure will sink south-wards over the next couple of days, and as it does this will change the wind direction to an easterly flow. The easterly winds will bring in very cold air from Europe, where temperatures across Scandinavia are currently well below freezing.

"As a result, any showers or spells of rain that meet the cold air will have a greater risk of turning wintry, especially for eastern parts of the UK. Wintry showers are likely and the risk of some overnight snow across northern areas from Wednesday onwards.

"There will also be the continued chance of hail at times, and ice will be an increasing problem."

On Sunday, light snow flurries affected parts of northern England, including in Cumbria, where snow ploughs were used to clear sections of the A66.

A "mini tornado" was reported in parts of the Midlands and southern Britain, where trees were brought down, power supplies knocked out and outbuildings damaged.

:: Watch Sky News live on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Blizzard Warning Amid Fears Of More Floods

Dengan url

http://terjunbebasopan.blogspot.com/2014/01/blizzard-warning-amid-fears-of-more.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Blizzard Warning Amid Fears Of More Floods

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Blizzard Warning Amid Fears Of More Floods

sebagai sumbernya

0 komentar:

Posting Komentar

techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger