UK Weather: Storm Callum Batters Parts Of The Country As Others Prepare For Highs Of 26C

Several alerts for flooding, rain and wind are in place.
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Parts of the UK are braced for more heavy rain and potential floods brought by Storm Callum, while others are preparing to see the warmest October weather in eight years.

An amber alert is in place for the rest of Friday and into Saturday in south Wales, as persistent downpours are expected to bring up to 200mm of rainfall over the next 48 hours.

Homes and businesses in Wales, the south West and northern England are at risk of flooding, the Met Office has warned.

Flooding is expected in parts of south west England, with two flood warnings in place, while people are advised to “be prepared” as flood alerts are in place in west south west and north of England, the Environment Agency said.

Grahame Madge, Met Office spokesman, told HuffPost UK: “There’s a number of warnings for wind today and rain warnings tomorrow. We’ve already seen gusts of 77mph recorded in north Wales early this morning.”

It's nearly the #weekend!! Here is a look at the weather we can expect #FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/yStCNVP6mG

— Met Office (@metoffice) October 12, 2018

South Wales will be the hardest hit with “considerable” rainfall caused by Callum working its way up the western sea board of Northern Ireland and Scotland, bringing a “conveyor belt” of rain.

Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain are in place for parts of Devon, north Wales, northern England and southern Scotland, meaning these areas could continue to receive significant amounts of rainfall.

Travel disruption is expected, and forecasters are urging drivers and individuals to stay alert amid challenging conditions, with Environment Agency teams draining ditches and obstructions to the flow of water.

Arriva Trains Wales has suspended its Swansea to Camarthen line and amended part of its weekend timetable.

Madge said: “With more or less continual rain over two days, that means there will be a lot of surface water on roads, a lot of spray so driving on busy routes will be challenging.

“With rivers responding potential rapidly, there is an obvious risk on country roads and rivers properties.”

Virgin Trains are allowing customers to travel at any time, regardless of the ticket they purchased. Delays long the network are expected and passengers are advised to check their journey beforehand.

Eastern and southern parts of the UK will see a rather different story, as temperatures are forecast to climb to an above average 26C – the highest temperature seen in October since 2011.

With strong winds and heavy rain forecast for today and tomorrow during #StormCallum we would urge people to take extra care near the coast and not to drive through flood water - you can check for flood risk in your local area here: …https://t.co/BpUpnj1mdd #FloodAware pic.twitter.com/gtRZpJxoqG

— Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) October 12, 2018

“There may be people in Suffolk and Kent tomorrow who wonder what the fuss is all about in the west, because it won’t be as windy and it will be clear and largely dry,” Madge said.

“There is the potential for some temperatures to get up to 24 or 25C and the last time we had plus-25C temperature in the UK in October was in 2011. It’s not unprecedented but it is significant.”

He added: “We could see an isolated 25C, 26C, probably somewhere in the south east, St James Park, Kew, Margate, the areas that are quite favoured, even as far as Cambridge we could see temperatures getting into the mid-20s.”

It follows on from Indian Summer conditions midweek as temperatures reached 24C in the South East.

By Sunday the weather will even out, with the UK seeing the mercury hit the mid to high teens – conditions which will continue on into Monday.

Parts of the country which saw heavy rainfall will get some respite, with dry spells expected to break the downpour.

Later on Friday, the centre of Storm Callum will have cleared northern Scotland but the rainfall associated with it will continue into the early hours of Sunday, although winds will have died down.

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