Storm Christoph is replaced by blizzards: Up to four inches of snow will fall in Britain today with further flooding when it melts next week after a month’s rain in less than 48 hours
- As much as four inches of snow is expected to fall in some areas of the UK from today as temperatures plunge
- The torrential rains of the past week are predicted to give way to snow which will sweep across the country
- The MET Office has issued a yellow weather warning going into the weekend with snow and ice expected
- There are fears the snowfall over the weekend will ‘compound’ the misery already caused by flooding
- The rain is set to take over from the snow again going into next week following Storm Christoph’s devastation
With Brits right across the country still reeling from the devastating floods caused by the rampaging Storm Christoph, the Met Office are now warning that some areas could see up to four inches of snow thanks to plunging temperatures across the weekend.
The torrential rain that has hammered Britain this week thanks to Storm Christoph will give way to freezing temperatures, which has prompted a yellow weather warning, with snow and ice expected across much of the country.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert for wintry conditions across swathes of the UK, with up to four inches of snow forecast in parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England from 4pm.
Wintry showers were possible across most of the country overnight and into this morning, except areas close to the east coast.
Up to four inches of snow was forecast for high ground, although most areas were likely to see an inch at most. And the snow is set to continue tomorrow across the South and Midlands after a mostly cold, dry and sunny day.
The Met Office said cold conditions should remain until Tuesday, when milder, wetter weather is set to return. That could ‘compound’ the existing flooding issues with melting snow adding to the water levels.
With Brits right across the country still reeling from the devastating floods caused by the rampaging Storm Christoph, the MET Office are now warning that some areas could see up to four inches of snow thanks to plunging temperatures across the weekend. Pictured: A bus drives slowly through the snow in Soliull last night
Snow has already fallen in some parts of the country. This row of parked cars are already covered as temperatures begin to fall going into the weekend
A man braves the low weekend temperatures as he goes for a walk in the snow last night in the West Midlands. As much as four inches of snow is expected to fall in parts of the country over the weekend with temperatures set to plunge
So far, around 400 homes have been flooded as the result of Storm Christoph, the Environment Agency said yesterday. Pictured: Peter Morley mops the floor of his home in Sankey Bridges, Warrington, after it was flooded on Thursday
Pictured: Snow in Melrose, Scotland ahead of wintry conditions which are set to bring four inches across parts of the UK
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert for wintry conditions across swathes of the UK, with up to four inches of snow forecast in parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England from 4pm. Pictured: Business owner Charles Rose begins to clean up his store following the devastation caused by Storm Christoph
Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said cold air from Iceland and the Arctic will bring with it ‘a mix of wintry hazards across the UK’. Pictured: Fields in Holt, Wrexham, Wales, are left completely flooded after Storm Christoph passed through the area
Around 400 homes have been flooded as the result of Storm Christoph, the Environment Agency said today, with Britons in northern and central England urged to prepare for further flooding over the weekend due to ‘exceptionally high’ river levels. Pictured: Ironbridge today
Pictured: Cars are engulfed by flooding in Shrewsbury yesterday after Storm Christoph devastated parts of Britain
One severe flood alert remains in place in England yesterday afternoon, with experts warning flooding could pose a significant risk to life at the River Dee in Cheshire. There are also 138 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 123 flood alerts, where it is possible. Pictured: Northwich, Cheshire today
Among the victims of Storm Christoph are George and Amal Clooney. The garden of their 17th-century, Grade II-listed mansion (pictured) in Sonning, Berkshire was yesterday flooded by the burst banks of the nearby River Thames
The Met Office today said the UK is set to be hit by more wintry weather as Storm Christoph moves away to the East, with a yellow weather warning for ice and snow already in place across most of Britain until this morning
Residents in some areas along the River Severn have been advised there could be flooding into Saturday, with some levels peaking at heights similar to the February washout last year.
In Worcester, at-risk householders are being contacted by the city council and offered rest-centre accommodation.
Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said cold air from Iceland and the Arctic will bring with it ‘a mix of wintry hazards across the UK’.
He said: ‘In clearer conditions, overnight ice will remain a hazard, while a band of snow is likely to bring falls of 1-3cm quite widely across central areas of the UK, particularly the Cotswolds and higher ground in the East Midlands on Sunday.
So far, around 400 homes have been flooded as the result of Storm Christoph, the Environment Agency said yesterday, with Britons in northern and central England urged to prepare for further flooding over the weekend due to ‘exceptionally high’ river levels.
Come the new week the snow will once again give way to more rain, with Environment Secretary George Eustice saying it gives cause for concern at the potential for further flooding.
Firefighters pull a dinghy along floodwater in Knutsford, Cheshire yesterday as they help in evacuation efforts after the storm
Shropshire Fire and Rescue evacuate two people and a small French Bulldog from the top window of a house next to the swollen River Severn in Ironbridge yesterday
Surfers make the most of the tail end of Storm Christoph which left waves coming onto the North East coastline yesterday afternoon
George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (left) speaking to Environment Agency staff in Northwich, Cheshire, in the aftermath of Storm Christoph
The clean up as floodwater begins to recede from the town of Northwich, Cheshire, in the aftermath of Storm Christoph
Houses and rescue crafts are seen after serious flooding takes over an estate in Sankey Bridges, Warrington, on Friday morning
Speaking yesterday he said: ‘The thing that concerns us most is that late next week we are expecting more rainfall, that falls on wet, soggy ground.
‘It is possible that we therefore could have some additional challenges in a week’s time.’
Chris Tubbs, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office, said wet weather is likely to return from the middle of next week.
He said: ‘Once the certainty increases about which areas are most likely to be affected by potentially heavy rain, we may need to issue further warnings, especially if next week’s rainfall is likely to compound the impacts from this week.’
The Environment Agency has warned of ‘exceptionally high river levels’ following days of heavy rainfall in the wake of Storm Christoph, with hundreds of properties across the country flooded.
Care home residents were among those evacuated in several areas across the North West, while, in Wales, a helicopter crew rescued a family trapped in their home due to fast-flowing floodwater.
A man looks at the flood water from behind a flood barrier at a taxi rank in York on Friday morning
Flooded roads around Carringtonn greeted the high flying Manchester United stars as they arrived for training yesterday morning
The outline of a 400-year-old English Civil War fort in Earith, Cambridgeshire, has been highlighted after heavy rain and flooding filled a moat around the earthworks
A house belonging to Vic Haddock is surrounded by floodwater from the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, on Friday morning
Homes in Hereford, Herefordshire, turned into islands with a man pulling a boat seen here visiting on property in the city yesterday morning
Dirty water flows down a street in York with a sign half submerged warning about flooding in the area on Friday morning
The River Ouse in York burst its banks and sent water teaming through the historic city in Yorkshire. This picture was taken on Friday morning
RSPCA officers rescue a dog called Pepper in Warrington after floods forced around 100 people to evacuate
A man and child walk through the remaining flood water outside the shops in the town centre Northwich, Cheshire, on Friday morning
The Boathouse from where Vic Haddock operates his canoe hire and bed and breakfast business is surrounded by floodwater from the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire,yesterday
Workmen clearing floodwater from the village of in Northwich, Cheshire, in the aftermath of Storm Christoph on Friday morning
Two people are helped through the floodwater as one takes a picture on his phone by a man wearing a hi-vis jacket in Hereford yesterday
An elderly resident makes his way through flood waters wearing wellington boots in Bangor-on-Dee in Wales on Friday morning
River levels around Ironbridge in Shropshire were expected to peak at around 6.8m overnight.
In Bewdley, Worcestershire, the peak is expected early on Saturday, at a ‘slightly lower’ level than February 2020, according to Dave Throup from the Environment Agency.
The snow comes after families returned nervously to their homes yesterday to discover what damage Storm Christoph had done as flooding continued to bring misery to thousands.
The clean-up began in parts of Cheshire, Wales and Yorkshire, where a month’s rain fell in less than 48 hours, causing rivers to burst their banks this week.
But while some were mopping up, others in Shropshire and Herefordshire were waking up to newly flooded streets and homes as the Severn and Wye overflowed.
Water levels rose there a day or so after the North as the effects of the heavy rainfall worked its way further downstream.
Residents, some of whom were evacuated, told of their despair that they had not long finished repairs following Storm Dennis last February.
A shop owner begins to clean up as floodwater begins to recede from the town of Northwich, Cheshire, in the aftermath of Storm Christoph yesterday
Part of the racecourse in Knavesmire in York has been submerged in floodwater on Friday as a dog and his walker stroll the deluge
A shop display is left in disarray as floodwater begins to recede from the town of Northwich, Cheshire, on Friday morning
Vehicles remain stranded in the early morning sun by the River Dee just outside Bangor-on-Dee in Wales on Friday morning
Flooding in York is pictured in this photograph taken on Friday morning after the River Ouse bursts its banks
A man uses a JCB to move a sandbag along the Wharfage next to the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, with a property in the background surrounded by floodwater
The Environment Agency pump away water as floodwater begins to recede from the town of Northwich, Cheshire, yesterday morning
Farmers take to the water in a small boat with a dog at the helm as they survey the flood water in Tirley, Gloucestershire, on Friday
Council workers and environmental health workers work on clearing away water which flooded the centre of Northwich in Cheshire
Two council workers smile for a photograph as they stand in flood water before working to clear it in Northwich, Cheshire
The teams of council workers are doing their best to pump away the huge quantity of flld water after the River Weaver burst its banks in Cheshire
The chilly weather will continue into the weekend, when temperatures could drop to minus 10C overnight in localised parts of Scotland, and could dip as low as minus seven in parts of England, Mr Snell said. Pictured: Northwich yesterday
The Environment Agency said 139 flood warnings remained in place across England yesterday, including a severe warning on the Dee between the town of Holt, North Wales, and the Cheshire village of Farndon. Aerial pictures taken on the Welsh side showed the scale of the flooding.
In Northwich, Cheshire, hair salon owner Charles Rose mopped the flooded floor of his hairdressers, which he only recently opened with his partner.
Around 20 miles away in Warrington, Catherine Myall, 39, said not enough was being done to protect homes.
‘Everything’s been destroyed – the couches, fridge freezer, washing machine, children’s toys,’ she said.
A woman in wellington boots walks through flood water in York as she assesses the damage done to her area by the flooding
Businesses such as Holland and Barrett and Vision Express put sand bags in their doorways in a bid to keep out the flooding in Northwich, Cheshire, yesterday
York city centre remains under flood water with paths and roads closed off to the public due to wet weather across the country
Left: Water gushes out of hose pipes in York as people pump the flooding out of their buildings. Right: A flood warning sign in the city
A pub is submerged up to the first floor in York city centre on a street where most businesses have been affected by the flooding
‘The lack of action frustrates me, it really does. You may as well talk to a brick wall. Every time it rains, flooding is a worry.
‘We’ve only just had re-plastering and electrical work done from the last time we were flooded, last year.’
Elsewhere in the town, Peter Morley mopped the downstairs of his house after it was flooded on Thursday and Woody Woodfine cleared out the wrecked ground floor of his semi-detached home.
‘We’ve been here eight years and the house has been flooded five times,’ Mr Woodfine, 55, said.
‘The authorities have allegedly invested £260,000 in a brand new pumping station,’ he added, but it was not due to be operational until April.
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