Many parts of the United Kingdom have been affected by flooding, leading authorities to issue warnings of heavy rain and thunderstorms across much of the country and predicting travel cancellations in the coming days.
Parts of Cornwall and Devon were affected by flooding due to rain on Monday. The east coast counties of Essex, Suffolk and Lincolnshire also felt the storm’s impact.
The National Flood Forum has warned that the country is still at risk of flooding as these events become an increasingly “regular pattern”.
“Flooding has increased during the time I’ve been working on flood risks. We’re seeing it every year now. We’re still more reactive than proactive. If we don’t have floods in the headlines, we’ll be a bit more relaxed,” he explained. Guardian Heather Shepard, flood recovery specialist.
The expert warned that “building like crazy everywhere” increases the risk of flooding because many new buildings “are in places where there was water. There is no urban area”.
The warnings come after a major heat wave hit the country, a frequent occurrence due to the effects of climate change. Hail, frequent lightning, heavy rain and flash flooding are forecast across England and Wales this Tuesday.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst from the Met Office admitted the weather forecast could cause difficulties for those looking to travel and advised people to keep up to date with developments in their areas.
“There will be very heavy rain, hail, frequent lightning and some flooding in the coming days. Our advice is to keep an eye on the latest forecasts and local radios for the latest information. Travel disruptions or delays,” warned Greg Dewhurst.
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