UK Braces for Heavy Rain and Flooding After Storm Ciarán: 38 Warnings Issued as Saturated Grounds Lead to Disruptions

As the remnants of Storm Ciarán begun to dissipate, the UK is bracing for another round of heavy rain, with 38 flood warnings and 160 flooding alerts issued for southern and southwestern England. According to the Met Office, the storm has largely moved out of the region, but the saturated ground is expected to lead to frequent heavy and blustery showers throughout Saturday. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather notice, stretching from Kent to Cornwall, advising of the possibility of spray and flooding on roads, which could cause delays on the roads, buses, and trains.

The warning also cautions that flooding of homes and businesses is possible, and large waves could lead to dangerous conditions along the English Channel coastline. The Met Office warns that by noon on Saturday, this belt of rain is expected to have moved across much of England and Wales, but conditions will turn more showery behind the front. The yellow warning for rain is in place to cover the initial rain and the subsequent showers, which will be heavy and thundery in places. A spokesperson for the Met Office noted that the ground is saturated in many areas, so some disruption is possible, especially to travel.

Frank Saunders, the chief forecaster, said that the weather is moving into a period of fairly typical autumnal weather, with breezy conditions and spells of rain and showers, interspersed with some clearer and brighter periods. Despite the warnings, overall conditions are expected to be less impactful than seen over the last few days. Showers will predominantly be in the west on Sunday, with dry and brighter conditions in the east, and no weather warnings are currently issued.

However, the after-effects of Storm Ciarán are still being felt, with rail services remaining disrupted on Friday. LNER, the main train operator on the east coast main line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, had advised passengers not to travel until Saturday. Storm Ciarán had battered the south coast and the Channel Islands with heavy rain and gusts of up to 100mph on Thursday, leaving nearly 150,000 homes without power.