LONDON, Feb. 18 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
Homeowners andbusinesses across thesouth westofEngland are being urged toremainvigilantastheEnvironmentAgencyand Met Officetoday (Wednesday 18February)warnthatwetweather is set tocontinue foranother month.High tides and strong winds may also bring tidal flood risk in some places during this period.
Thestart of2026 has been exceptionally wet-witha strong andunusuallysouthernly jetstreambringingfrequentrain,strong windsandwintry hazards.Thesouth westofEnglandhasbeenparticularlybattered, experiencing216 millimetres ofrainfall so far-184%of the long-term averageforthis timeof the year.
InSomersetapproximately29square miles oftheLevels andMoors have been flooded.Inthe comingdays,it has been forecastedthat there will be a further bandof rainin theregion, beforeforecastspredictmore unsettledconditionswillmovefurthernorth.
With theMet Officewarningthechangeableweatherisexpectedto remainuntilthe middleof March, Environment Agencyhasconfirmedhundredsoffloodresponderswill continue tobe deployedacrossthe countryto respond to floodingand protectvulnerablecommunities.
Actionbeing taken by the EnvironmentAgencyincludes:
* Further pumps proactively deployed across the Somerset Levels and Moors, bringing the total to 28 ultra-high volume pumps. These support more than 60 high volume pumps across the whole of Somerset and neighbouring Dorset and Wiltshire.
* Temporary barriersbeingdeployed along the Severn and the Thames, including recently installed barriers at Bewdley in Worcestershire and at Oxford to protect the city.
* The Thames Barrieris due to beclosedon Thursday19 FebruarybyEA teamsas high tides areexpectedin the coming days.
* The ThamesJubileeRiver flood relief channelremainsoperational, helping to reduce river levelsand reduce the risk of property flooding.
So far, the Environment Agency estimates that 355 properties have beenflooded,but a further 24,500 have been protected.Since the first wet forecasts inJanuary,EA teams have been workingaround the clock to reduce the riskof flooding, with teamson theground to conductimportant checks on flood defences, clearing anyriverblockages andmonitorriverlevels whenrainfall occurs.
JulieFoley,DirectorofFloodRiskStrategy&National Adaptation,said:
With the weatherconditionscontinuing to remainunsettled, I urgethe public toremain vigilant to the riskofflooding.
Environment Agencyofficers will continue to work around the clockacrossthecountry,supporting communities with pumps,temporary barriers andby clearing waterwaysto ensure flood water can drain away.
Our thoughts are with the households, businesses and farmers who have been flooded. Whilst many thousands of properties have beenprotected, there is always more to be done to tackle flood risk in a changing climate.We will be working with government, local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards to deliver further flood protection and resilience as part of ourmulti-billion poundinvestment programme.
SarahDavies,Head ofEnergy andEnvironmentatthe Met Office said:
Wet weather has persisted for many areas over the past few weeks, with repeated Atlantic low pressure systems leaving ground conditions particularly saturated across southern parts of the UK.
While it is likely to remain changeable over the next few weeks, with further wet weather at times, the focus for the wettest conditions is expected to shift to western hills, where we would normally expect it at this time of year.
However, given some areas elsewhere remain sensitive following recent rain, any further spells of rain as we head into early spring has a higher chance of causing some impacts than normal for this type of setup.
The EnvironmentAgency continuestomonitorthe situation and will review plans as the forecasts are updated.Thepublic arestronglyadvised to get flood warnings by text, phone or email.
The governmentis investingatleast a record £10.5 billioninits flooding programmeuntil 2036. Thisis helping toprotectnearly 900,000homes and businesses against billions of pounds of economic damage.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
