Rare amber warning for floods and heavy rain across northern England with urgent ‘danger to life’ alert issued by Met Office for Manchester, Wales and Liverpool
By Matt Drake[1] and Mark Duell[2] and Oliver Price[3]
Published: 00:50, 23 May 2024 | Updated: 01:10, 23 May 2024
The Met Office has issued a rare amber warning for floods[4] and heavy rain across northern England and Wales with an urgent ‘danger to life’ alert in effect in areas including Manchester and Liverpool.
This comes after person died on Wednesday following a mudslide caused by lashing rain[5] in Carlton-in-Cleveland.
North Yorkshire Police[6] said the incident occurred at around 1.15pm, killing one person. No one else was injured. A cordon was put in place as emergency services managed the situation.
In a statement, the force said: ‘We can confirm that one person has sadly died as a result of the incident.
Our thoughts are with their family and friends during this difficult time.
‘We ask the public to avoid the area to allow our teams to work efficiently and to respect the privacy of those affected.
‘We are actively gathering information and will provide further updates as soon as we can. We would ask the public to refrain from speculation and spreading unverified information.’
LIVERPOOL: People in big coats with umbrellas protect themselves from rain on Wednesday
CAMBRIDGE: Heavy rain hits Cambridge on Wednesday as the UK experiences downpours
MOUNTSORREL: A vintage Porsche 356 kicks up the floodwater on Slash Lane near Mountsorrel in Leicestershire on Wednesday
STOKE-ON-TRENT: A car negotiates a partially flooded road as heavy rain begins on May 22
NORTHWICH: A pedestrian carefully walks through a partially flooded footpath
Amber and yellow rain warnings are in place across the UK for Thursday
The mudslide is believed to have happened on Carlton Bank on the edge of the North York Moors National Park.
The area was covered by a Met Office yellow weather warning which saw a month’s worth of rain fall in 12 hours on Wednesday.
The Met Office said the area had seen almost a month’s worth of rain in the past day, with 41.6mm of rain recorded over the last 24 hours in Loftus, a town 20 miles away.
Simon Partridge, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The average monthly rainfall for May in North Yorkshire is 57.5mm so they’ve almost had a month’s worth of rainfall today.”
Carlisle in Cumbria experienced the worst of the rainfall, with 65.6mm falling over the previous 24 hours.
Mr Partridge said there was still “quite a long way to go” until the rain was due to stop, with wet weather expected to continue in the area until Thursday evening.
An amber warning for rain has been in place across parts of North Wales and north-west England, including Manchester and Liverpool, since midday on Wednesday.
A yellow warning for rain covers the north of England, the Midlands and north and central Wales until 6am on Thursday, while another is in place for southern and eastern Scotland until 6pm on Thursday.
Fast flowing or deep floodwater which may cause danger to life is likely, the Met Office warned.
Heavy rainfall may also cause delays and cancellations to public transport services, difficult driving conditions and power cuts, the forecaster said.
Regarding staying safe in wet weather, Mr Partridge said: “Although it may not look too bad when you leave home, it could turn much heavier once you’re out and about, so the best thing is to plan your trips and if you don’t need to go – the best advice is to try and avoid it.
“Keep an eye on your local warnings from the Environment Agency which are just as important as ours as well.”
He added that the forecast for the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend was looking “uncertain” but the weather seemed to be “getting better”.
On Wednesday evening, the Environment Agency had five flood warnings and 111 flood alerts in place across England.
Britons have been rescued from flooded cars and deluged homes as downpours cancelled trains and blocked motorway lanes amid a series of weather warnings.
Meteorologists have warned the ‘worst is yet to come’ with up to a month’s worth of rain already falling in one day – and another month’s worth in the next 24 hours.
‘But there is a lot of rain[7] still to come in the next 12 to 24 hours, particularly in north Wales and north-west England.
‘There could be some flooding[8] in north Wales until midday on Thursday.’
Travel disruption and flooding is possible in places on Thursday morning, especially across north Wales and northwest England ? Rain also across Scotland and Northern Ireland but less heavy than on Wednesday
Drier in southern Britain with sunny spells developing in places? pic.twitter.com/NUlAqWlLXP[9]
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 22, 2024[10] 
Roads in the Romford area of East London become flooded Wednesday following heavy rainfall
People shelter under umbrellas in the rain at Newcastle’s Quayside by the Tyne Bridgeon Wednesday
A man walks through the heavy rain on May 22, 2024 in Stoke on Trent
A woman uses her coat to shelter from the rain as she walks through Central London on Wednesday
Motorists in the rain on the M5 northbound between the South West and Midlands on Wednesday
A Jet2 aircraft lands in heavy rain at Leeds Bradford Airport in West Yorkshire on Wednesday morning
A dog goes for a very wet walk in North Shields, North Tyneside, amid heavy rain on Wednesday morning
Commuters attempt to shelter from the rain at Maze Hill station in South East London on Wednesday
Roads in the Romford area of East London become flooded on Wednesday following heavy rainfall
People walk through the rain in Leeds on Wednesday amid heavy downpours across the UK
A motorist drives though floodwater on the road near Pershore in Worcestershire on Wednesday
A pedestrian wraps up under a hooded coat at Tynemouth in North Tyneside on Wednesday morning
Rail services in Bedfordshire and the West Midlands were also impacted by heavy rain, some London Underground[11] trains could not stop at Victoria station due to the deluge. Northern also warned of weather-related disruption on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile drivers were impacted in Greater Manchester, with one lane closed on the M61 motorway between Farnworth and Westhoughton due to flooding.
A yellow warning[12] for rain is in place for the North of England, the Midlands and North and Mid Wales from Wednesday until 6am on Thursday, with the southern edges of the affected area extended to run roughly from around Norwich to Bath.
Another yellow rain warning came into place at noon on Wednesday for Scotland, covering the south and east of the country, which runs until 6pm Thursday . Some parts of Scotland could see about a month’s worth of rainfall in just 12 hours.
A further yellow warning for thunderstorms[13] was added along the south coast of England – from Hastings in the east to Dartmouth in the west – until 7pm on Wednesday.
In addition, the Environment Agency issued 50 flood alerts and four warnings in England – mostly across the Midlands and South East.
Tom Morgan, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said that the ‘worst is yet to come’.
He said: ‘There was a lot of rainfall overnight in the north-west and southern Scotland, as well as in areas such as the Midlands, East Anglia and the Home Counties.
‘The wettest area was Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire which saw 68.8mm in the last 24 hours.
That’s almost a month’s rainfall in one day. For comparison, most other areas have seen an average of half a month’s rain in the same amount of time.
The Met Office issued an amber warning for rain running for 24 hours from 12pm Wednesday
The Environment Agency issued 50 flood alerts (in amber) and four warnings (in red) on Wednesday
‘But there is a lot of rain still to come in the next 12 to 24 hours, particularly in north Wales and north-west England. There could be some flooding in north Wales until midday on Thursday.’
Conditions are then expected to improve as the low pressure responsible for the wet weather begins to ease off.
Mr Morgan said: ‘The bank holiday weekend will likely see a mix of sunshine and showers, with temperatures expected to be back up to the low 20s.’
Rail services in parts of the West Midlands were impacted by heavy rain which flooded the line between Birmingham International and Coventry stations.
This saw trains run at a reduced speed – with services on Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern and West Midlands Railway all affected.
Further south, Thameslink said heavy rain flooding the railway and a shortage of train crew between Bedford and Bletchley meant trains were being cancelled.
Vehicles negotiate a flooded road amid heavy rain in Northwich, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday
Heavy rain hits Cambridge on Wednesday afternoon as much of the UK experiences downpours
The Mersey Ferry Snowdrop on the River Mersey amid the severe weather on Wednesday
People walk through the rain in Leeds on Wednesday amid heavy downpours across the UK
Members of the public shelter under umbrellas at the Chelsea Flower Show in London on Wednesday
A couple shelter under an umbrella during a walk along the coast at Tynemouth on Wednesday morning
A woman uses a book to shelter from the rain as she walks through Central London on Wednesday
Northern said stormy weather would affect routes between 4pm on Wednesday until 12pm Thursday and could lead to services being cancelled or delayed.
Trains will face 50mph speed restrictions between York and Hebden Bridge; York to Leeds via Micklefield; Leeds and Todmorden; and Mirfield and Todmorden.
And some services between Hull and Halifax will start or terminate at Bradford.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: ‘Some areas are really going to see a lot of heavy, persistent rain[14] through a big chunk of Wednesday.
It is going to be a pretty wet picture as we go through the rest of the week for many places.
‘There is some uncertainty as to exactly where we are going to see the heaviest rain and where is most likely to be impacted.’
The forecast says heavy and, in places, prolonged rainfall is expected from an area of low pressure arriving from the east, which has brought downpours to parts of central Europe.
Vehicles negotiate a flooded road amid heavy rain in Northwich, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday
A pedestrian shelters under an umbrella amid rain on Wednesday in North Shields, North Tyneside
Heavy rain hits Cambridge on Wednesday afternoon as much of the UK experiences downpours
An Aer Lingus aircraft has a bumpy landing in the heavy rain on Wednesday at Leeds Bradford Airport
A woman shelters from rain beneath a newspaper as she walks through Central London on Wednesday
A cyclist uses an umbrella to cross London Bridge amid torrential downpours on Wednesday morning
People walk through the rain in Leeds on Wednesday amid heavy downpours across the UK
A Jet2 aircraft takes off in the rain on Wednesday morning at Leeds Bradford Airport in West Yorkshire
A woman uses a book to shelter from the rain as she walks through Central London on Wednesday
A wet morning in South East London on Wednesday as commuters wait for trains at Maze Hill station
Many places could see 30mm (1.2in) to 40mm (1.6in) of rain, while a few areas may receive 60mm (2.4in) to 80mm (3.1in) as heavy rain moves northwards throughout Wednesday.
The Met Office said there is a small chance a few upland areas could see up to 150mm (5.9in).
In addition to the thunderstorm warning, which also includes scattered showers[15] and the threat of spray on the roads and sudden flooding, the south of England could see heavy, thundery showers which could bring 30mm (1.2in) to 40mm (1.6in) within three hours.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: ‘The precise track of the low pressure which would determine where the rainfall comes is still uncertain and is something we are keeping an eye on.
‘We would encourage people to keep an eye on the forecast over the next couple of days to see how that evolves.’
Chief meteorologist Andy Page said areas exposed to the strengthening northerly winds are most likely to see the highest rainfall.
Northern areas are expected to remain cloudy and wet on Thursday but drier further south with brighter conditions becoming more widespread by the end of the week.
Bank Holiday Monday is expected to be dry and fine for much of the country, feeling warm in the sunshine, although there remains the threat of showers ahead of more settled conditions.
References
- ^ Matt Drake (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Mark Duell (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Oliver Price (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ rare amber warning for floods (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ mudslide caused by lashing rain (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ North Yorkshire Police (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ lot of rain (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ flooding (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/NUlAqWlLXP (t.co)
- ^ May 22, 2024 (twitter.com)
- ^ London Underground (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ yellow warning (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ thunderstorms (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ heavy, persistent rain (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ scattered showers (www.dailymail.co.uk)