Storm Chandra leaves Britain underwater as 'big freeze' sees temperatures plummet to -2C
Flood and ice warnings are in place across the UK after large parts of Britain were left underwater
Flood and ice warnings are in place across the UK after large parts of Britain were left underwater following heavy rain from Storm Chandra.
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The mercury will drop as low as -2C in the UK on Wednesday, with a big chill set to follow the deluge brought to swathes of Britain by the third named storm of the season.
A major incident was declared in Somerset on Tuesday evening, with the council stating that the risk of flooding on the Somerset Levels and Moors “remains high as rainwater moves through the system”.
As of Tuesday night, there were 97 warnings where flooding is expected.
The Met Office also issued an additional 260 flood alerts across England for where they could occur in the next 24 hours.
In Wales, there were three flood warnings and 16 flood alerts in place, while in Scotland, there were eight flood warnings and eight flood alerts.
And the adverse weather is set to continue, with yellow weather warnings for ice issued on Wednesday morning covering much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and southern and central Scotland.
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A different start to Wednesday for many, with dense fog in northeast England and icy stretches possible across much of the country ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 27, 2026
Rain confined to the far northeast, with a few showers in the far west and southwest 🌦️
Otherwise, a brighter morning with sunny spells 🌥️ pic.twitter.com/f6atQNV1rT
A yellow weather warning for rain is also in place for south-west England on Thursday, with the Met Office saying that further rain could bring more flooding and transport disruption.
Somerset Council said on Tuesday evening that an estimated 50 properties have been affected by flooding across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel.
Council leader Bill Revans said: "The decision to declare a major incident at this stage means we are well placed to respond to this ongoing situation.
"Storm Chandra brought more than 50mm of rain to parts of Somerset last night, on top of already saturated land, and this has caused widespread disruption.
"Please avoid travelling if you can and never attempt to drive through flood water.
"The weather forecast remains challenging, so we will be working with colleagues in the emergency services to ensure we are prepared should the situation continue to deteriorate."
Images show search and rescue workers in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, vehicles on flooded roads in Kent and snowfall in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham.
Firefighters in Devon and Somerset rescued people from 25 vehicles trapped in floodwater on Tuesday morning.
A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed there were no casualties.
Axminster Fire Station posted images of multiple vehicles in floodwater on Facebook.
Across south-west England, there were multiple road closures due to flooding, including the A30 in Devon between the B3174/B3180 junction near Ottery St Mary and the B3184 for Exeter Airport.
Storm Chandra also brought disruption to other parts of the South West, the south coast, and north of England, as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Domestic flights were cancelled on routes serving Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester and Southampton airports on Tuesday.
Storm Chandra is the latest storm to be named by the Western Europe storm naming group list shared between the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.