Storm Jorge: UK braces for further floods with up to 10cm of rain expected in parts of South Wales
River levels will remain exceptionally high on the Severn, in particular, for some time in Shrewsbury, Bewdley, Bridgnorth and Ironbridge
Large waves crash over the promenade in Folkestone, Kent. PA Photo. Picture Parts of Wales and northern England could see between 50 to 100mm of rain as Storm Jorge hits the UK, the Met Office warned (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
February 28, 2020 8:37 pm(Updated July 10, 2020 3:10 pm)
Up to 10cm of rain is expected in parts of South Wales over the weekend, where hundreds of people have already been evacuated, as the full force of Storm Jorge hits the UK.
After widespread rain preceded the third major storm in a month across much of the country on Friday, Jorge is due to make landfall on Friday night.
The storm is forecast to bring six to 10cm of rain to Wales and northern England, and much of the rest of the country will also be battered.
"It's not good news I'm afraid, given all the rainfall we've had….It'll be raining pretty much everywhere by lunchtime," said Met Office forecaster Emma Salter.
Storm Jorge will arrive as several areas are still coping with the effects of Ciara and Dennis (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty)
There are 68 flood warnings and 157 flood alerts in place in England, Scotland and Wales as rain continued to fall in a month that, as of Wednesday night, was already the wettest since December 2015.
Toby Willison, director of operations at the Environment Agency, said: "We have already seen exceptionally wet weather in February."
More periods of extreme weather
"We need to prepare for more periods of extreme weather like this and I'd urge the public to be aware of their flood risk, sign up to flood warnings, make a flood plan and not to drive or walk through flood water," he added.
River levels will remain exceptionally high on the Severn, in particular, for some time and communities at Shrewsbury, Bewdley, Bridgnorth and Ironbridge, should prepare for severe flooding to continue, he said.
The village of Llanharan was among those hit hardest, as the railway line flooded and water spilled onto the roads.
Meanwhile, Neath Port Talbot council was handing out sandbags to residents in "high risk" locations as heavy rain battered the area.
The Met Office has yellow weather warnings in place for Saturday and Sunday, covering most of the UK, indicating heavy rain that could disrupt transport and cause flooding.
"The weather looks likely to remain rather cold and showery into next week and there's a chance of further wet and windy weather around the middle of the week," said Met Office deputy meteorologist Dan Harris.
The storm has been named Jorge because it was first named by the meteorological office in Spain, which is also being hit by it. Once named, the storm is called the same thing by different countries to avoid confusion.
The next storm to be named by the Met Office will be called Ellen, following Ciara and Dennis earlier this month.
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