The Met Office has issued a weather warning for winds of more than 60mph this weekend as parts of England slowly recover from the impact of torrential rain and flooding.
Following widespread disruption caused by the heavy downpours on Thursday, problems on the roads and railways gradually eased over Friday, and most can expect dry conditions on Saturday.
However, on Sunday, the Met Office is forecasting more heavy rain for the southern and western parts of the country and Wales. A yellow weather warning is in place for strong winds for some of the region from 9 am to midnight.
Winds are expected to strengthen from west to east, with gusts of 50-55 mph likely in places, exceeding 60mph in the most exposed areas. The continued unsettled weather could potentially bring more misery to communities that have already dealt with flash flooding caused by the heavy rain over the past week.
On Friday morning, rail services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were cancelled after severe flooding at Wellington station and a tree on the line. The pitch at the SEAH Stadium in Wellington, home to Telford United football club, was completely flooded on Thursday evening.
Trains between Peterborough in the East Midlands and London King’s Cross were also delayed because of flooding. On Friday afternoon, the Bristol-Swindon line was blocked due to flooding. The Marston Vale line in Bedfordshire, which operates services between Bedford and Bletchley, is suspended until Monday due to standing water on the track.
On the roads, three people had to be rescued from their cars after becoming stranded on the M5 near Bristol due to flooding. Around 6,000 litres of water per minute had to be removed from the motorway during a full closure.
Despite the rain disappearing on Friday, the Environment Agency still had 59 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding was likely. About 650 properties were flooded in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Kent, and the home counties. Minor river flooding is expected in Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Worcestershire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst stated, “There will continue to be localised flooding. A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks, which means the ground is already saturated.” Looking further ahead, the Met Office said the weather may become somewhat drier and brighter more widely around midweek.