Bertha lashes Britain with strong winds and heavy rainfall
Winds of 35mph were recorded in Cornwall, while Kent had up to a quarter of an inch of rain in an hour, the Met Office said. The Red Cross has mobilised hundreds of volunteers who are on standby amid fears people will need to be evacuated from their homes. While the first rainfall from the former hurricane was seen at around 11pm on Saturday, the Met Office said the main brunt of it hit the UK around 3am on Sunday. The stormy weather, expected to quickly sweep across the rest of Britain, follows downpours on Friday that caused flooding across eastern England and saw more than 1,400 homes hit by power cuts, according to theguardian.com .
The town of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands had its wettest day on record on SAturday, while residents of Fair Isle in northern Scotland faced almost six inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period. The rainfall and winds are expected to move across England and Wales towards Scotland throughout Sunday. Forecaster Simon Partridge said: "On top of Friday's heavy rainfall the rain we see today across the country could be quite significant." Britons have been warned to batten down the hatches as gale-force winds are predicted in coastal areas and 50mph gusts in other areas of the country. Met Office yellow weather warnings telling people to "be aware" of rainfall were issued for England, Wales and Scotland, and later extended to Northern Ireland.
Forecasters said the bad weather would plunge the country into autumnal conditions in the middle of summer. Hurricane Bertha tore through the Caribbean, with 90mph winds leaving thousands of homes without power. Further bad weather is expected on Monday and Tuesday, with showers and 45mph winds. Large swathes of the east of England took a battering from heavy rain and flooding on Friday. Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire were the worst affected, with residents having to be evacuated from their homes and fire crews battling through the night to pump out rising water.
Marooned drivers taken by surprise at the rising water had to abandon their cars in flood-hit roads. The head of UK emergency planning and response for the Red Cross, Simon Lewis, said: "We have hundreds of volunteers stationed across the UK and poised to help people who may be affected by possible flash flooding.
"Experience tells us that extreme weather could also lead to evacuations of homes and power cuts and we are ready to respond.
"We would urge people to keep a close eye on the forecast and think about preparing some basic emergency supplies in case the weather does take a turn for the worse."
Environment Agency flood risk manager Craig Woolhouse warned that powerful winds could create large waves which posed a flood risk to parts of the coast. "On Sunday and Monday a combination of high spring tides and strong westerly winds bring a risk of large waves and spray and possible flooding to the south-west coast of England and along the Severn Estuary.
"If you're travelling to or from holiday then check your flood risk before setting off and don't drive through flood waters.
"The unseasonal low pressure system looks set to sweep up from the South West, through the Midlands and, towards the Humber from the early hours of Sunday morning.
"The Environment Agency is continuing to monitor the situation closely along with the Met Office and local authorities. Our teams are out on the ground, ensuring coastal flood defences are ready, rivers can flow freely and clearing trash screens."
