UK weather: Arctic air sweeps in as Storm Claudia clean-up continues | UK weather
Cold Arctic air has begun to sweep across the UK, causing freezing temperatures as emergency services continue to deal with severe flooding caused by Storm Claudia.
On Saturday, a major incident was declared in Monmouth, south-east Wales; Here people were rescued or evacuated from flooded homes during heavy rain on Friday. The fire department said it was canceled Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday morning, there were 41 flood warnings in England, with four severe flood warnings remaining in place by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), warning of danger to life. NRW said river levels at Monnow have reached record levels, exceeding levels recorded during Storm Dennis in 2020 and Storm Bert last year.
Homes, businesses, transport and energy infrastructure have all been damaged by “significant flooding” in some parts of Wales, according to the Welsh government.
The Environment Agency reported that 20 properties in England, including those in Cumbria, were flooded as a result of Storm Claudia.
Forecasters said the storm’s retreat had led to a cold spell across the UK, with temperatures dropping to freezing and possible snow and ice.
Saturday night was the coldest night in the UK since March 20, with temperatures dropping to -7C at Tulloch Bridge, Scotland, according to the Met Office.
A drop of around 5°C would see above-average temperatures for November falling into single digits across much of the UK; The mercury will peak at around 11°C in south-east England on Sunday and cool further at the start of the week.
Dan Holley, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, said: “As Storm Claudia retreats southwards, high pressure in the north-west will cause a cold northward flow from the Arctic across the UK.
“This will bring much colder weather conditions than recent days and, although generally drier than recent days, there will also be a risk of winter hazards such as snow and ice. Widespread frosts will occur across the UK, with temperatures dropping to as low as -7C in some places next week, with daytime temperatures remaining in single figures across the country.
“Combine this with a strong north wind and there will be a significant wind chill. This will be a notable change in our weather conditions after prolonged periods of above average temperatures.”
The UK Health Safety Agency has issued a cold weather warning for parts of the Midlands and northern England from Monday, and the Environment Agency has warned that flooding will continue through the weekend.
The cold weather warning will be in force from 8am on Monday until 8am next Friday and covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, the north-east, north-west and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Snow is possible at higher elevations in the northern half of England until Tuesday.
The Fire Brigades Union said it was under “tremendous pressure” due to severe flooding in parts of Wales and England, and years of outages had left firefighters under “increasing pressure” during major weather events.
FBU general secretary Steve Wright said: “Firefighters in Wales and England have been working tirelessly throughout the night and into today to deal with severe flooding and protect communities affected by Storm Claudia.
“Our agents are reporting exceptionally intense workloads, made even more difficult by the fact that there are fewer firefighters and less equipment available than there should be.”
