UK urged to prepare for floods in winter after unusually wet September

LONDON – The UK government has urged people to ensure they are prepared for flooding this winter after an unusually wet September.

The warning marks Flood Action Week, which started on Oct 14 and coincides with the anniversary of the 2023 Storm Babet, which caused damage across the country.

Britain suffered its wettest 18 months on record through February.

Heavy rain in the UK and Ireland in the autumn of 2023 and winter were about 20 per cent worse because of climate change, a report showed earlier in 2024.

Intense rainfall was also more frequent, making it crucial for homes and businesses to put in place adaptation measures.

Already some parts of the country have experienced flooding this autumn.

“Only last month, heavy rainfall led to the first major incident of the season with almost a thousand properties flooded,” The Environment Agency said in a statement.

“It followed the wettest 18 months on record in England up to February 2024.” 

While the effects of the La Niña weather phenomenon are likely to develop over the coming weeks and expected to bring colder and drier weather to the UK, even a “normal” winter could lead to flooding in some areas, Mr Will Lang, head of situational awareness at the Met Office, said in a recent briefing.

“Climate change means extreme weather events are happening more frequently,” according to Ms Caroline Douglass, the Environment Agency’s executive director of flood and coastal risk management.

“That is why it is essential we all do our part by checking our flood risk.” BLOOMBERG