Storm Babet MAPPED: Weather warning tracker and graphics show path of storm as flooding and wind continue to batter Britain with three dead
- Environment and rescue experts warn people not to travel unless necessary
Storm Babet is continuing to wreak havoc across the UK on Saturday after arriving on British shores earlier this week – as maps chart its eastward progress across the country.
Maps show how the weather system is continuing to bring miserable weather to eastern parts of the UK after first touching down on Tuesday night – before it intensified throughout Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Yellow, amber and red weather warnings remain in place across much of eastern Scotland and northern England today – while flood agencies for each part of Great Britain have issued hundreds of alerts and warnings affecting thousands of people.
As of 9.30am on Saturday, there were:
- 340 flood warnings and 238 flood alerts in England
- Five severe flood warnings, 19 flood warnings and 12 flood alerts in Scotland
- One severe flood warning, 11 flood warnings and 15 flood alerts in Wales.
Weather warnings remain in place for much of northern Britain until later today – with most alerts due to expire at midnight
Hundreds of flood warnings (in red) and flood alerts (in orange) have been issued across England
Scottish environment authorities have issued five severe flood alerts on the east coast around Angus, where homes have been evacuated
In Wales, flood alerts – including a severe flood warning – have been issued across northern and central Wales
Vehicles have been abandoned across the country (pictured: a car and a lorry ditched in Chesterfield, Derbyshire) amid heavy flooding
In Brechin, Scotland, residents have been forced to abandon their homes (pictured) as the River South Est burst its banks after rising 5m above normal levels
Pascal Lardet, from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday: ‘The situation remains challenging with a difficult day ahead.’
Meanwhile, Clive Stanbrook, area manager at Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service – which has declared a major incident – warned: ‘Everything is going to be dangerous today if you’re walking or travelling, so please travel if only absolutely necessary.’
The storm has claimed the lives of three people since Thursday including two in Angus, Scotland: a 57-year-old woman who died after being swept into a river and a 56-year-old man in the region who was killed by a falling tree that struck his van.
A man in his 60s died after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire on Friday; police found his body two hours after he disappeared under the water.
Storm Babet is named after a Dutch woman who, on a visit to the Netherlands’ national forecaster, said she was born during a fierce gale.
Source: Read Full Article