Major incident declared as Storm Claudia leaves Monmouth underwater - with residents evacuated and thousands left without power
The floodwaters hit the town of Monmouth in South Wales following amber weather warnings issued by the Met Office - as thousands in Ireland are left without power.
A major incident has been declared in South Wales after Storm Claudia brought more than a month's worth of rain in under 24 hours.
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The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for rain covering central and northern England, the South West, and Wales which extended until 6am on Saturday.
The weather system has led to a major incident being declared amid warnings of 'severe and widespread flooding' expected to continue into the afternoon.
It comes as a yellow alert for cold weather for a large part of England has been issued from Monday.
Fire crews have been conducting door-to-door welfare checks, rescues and evacuations after flooding his the region, with footage showing search and rescue teams out in force.
Monmouth resident, Bal Sordinder-Singh, told LBC: "There's about one foot of water in the house already, it came through the vent and I abruptly woke up at about 3 o'clock and suddenly I don't know why I ran downstairs and found a lot of water there."
Elsewhere, thousands of homes and businesses have been left without electricity in Ireland following Storm Claudia - a weather system named by the Spanish weather service.
Dramatic flooding was reported in Portarlington, on the border of counties Laois and Offaly, despite no rain warning being issued for those counties.
South Wales Fire and Rescue declared a major incident in Monmouth in the early hours of Saturday after “severe and widespread” flooding stretched across the town and surrounding communities.
Natural Resources Wales had issued four severe flooding warnings as of 6am, meaning there was “significant risk to life and significant disruption to the community is expected”.
More than 90 flood warnings remained in place on Saturday morning across England and Wales, according to the Environment Agency.
It comes as another Monmouth resident, Mark Stone, told LBC of how he was woken by his neighbour at 3.45am this morning.
Speaking with LBC reporter Mike Hughes, Mr Stone said: "3:45 this morning, this man knocking on my door, he's my neighbour, from the shop, saying that the floods was coming and he had the water in.
"And I didn't believe at first and then when I saw behind him and it was coming bad, it really was."
"I've lived here since 1957... but it's never came up this high".
The decision comes after predictions that Storm Claudia might bring up to a month’s worth of rain in a day, with higher ground in Wales predicted to be hit with 100-150mm rainfall, according to the Met Office.
Elsewhere, floods and power outages have been reported across Ireland, with thousands of homes and businesses being left without electricity on Saturday morning, just as rain weather warnings lifted. Weather forecaster Met Eireann warned people to be alert for “significant” flooding and hazardous travelling conditions across the nation.
Keith Leonard, national director for Fire and Emergency Management in Ireland, said local authorities had been preparing since Thursday for heavy rainfall.
In Wales, emergency services from the Monmouth area are working to carry out welfare checks, evacuations and rescues, with support to Gwent Police provided by Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST), SARA, Mountain Rescue, and the Coastguard.
Area Manager Matt Jones said conditions remained challenging due to fast-moving water, blocked roads and pressure on infrastructure. He urged the public to avoid the area where possible.
“This is a large-scale incident, and our crews and partners have been working tirelessly through the night and into today to help those affected," said Mr Jones.
“I want to thank everyone involved for the professionalism and care they continue to show in very difficult circumstances.
“The flooding is significant, and we need to keep routes clear to allow emergency services to reach the people who need us most."
He concluded by urging anyone in immediate danger with threat to life or property, or in need of urgent assistance, to call 999.
According to the Met Office, patchy rain and drizzle will persist across England and Wales, while Northern Ireland and Scotland can expect drier, brighter conditions with some sunny spells.
More than 90 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected- were in place on Saturday morning, according to the Environment Agency.
A severe amber warning for rain had been in place until just before midnight on Friday in central parts of the country and Wales, which had more than 60% of the month’s rainfall at one rain gauge.
According to Met Office predictions, outbreaks of rain are likely to worsen flooding, particularly in parts of eastern England and Co Down in Northern Ireland.
Downpours will quickly be replaced by a cold snap as the country braces for colder weather settling in from Sunday and into next week, which could bring snow and sleet to north-facing coasts and hills, the forecaster said.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued a cold weather warning for parts of the Midlands and northern England, starting Monday.
The cold weather alert is in place from 8am on Monday November 17 until 8am on Friday November 21 and covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber.
Disruption is expected until Saturday and National Rail has advised travellers to check before they travel.
On the roads, the storm also hit rail replacement services, and roadside assistance companies reported a busy day with a high number of callouts on Friday.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “Overnight (on) Saturday and throughout the course of Sunday, we will start to see winds changing to be a bit more northerly, introducing a lot of Arctic air.
“Clouds will clear throughout the course of the day so it will allow for some sunshine, but with it, it’s going to be turning much colder.“I think people are really going to notice a chill into Sunday and feeling cold in many areas.
“Things are starting to turn less stormy, a bit brighter, but it’s going to be feeling a lot colder and, as we head into next week, we’ll see a continuation of that.”