High winds and heavy rain forecast for Wednesday night and all day Thursday
The Met Office has warned of heavy rains this evening (Wednesday 21st January) and early tomorrow morning (Thursday 22nd January) that could result in flooding in the local area. www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast_warnings
According to their forecast, a band of rain is expected to come across from the west tonight which looks like being heavy at times, especially towards the end of the night and into Thursday morning.
There will also be some strong southerly winds accompanying the band of rain with a potential for gusts perhaps as high as 50 mph in places.
After a brief respite during the day we can expect to see another spell of heavy rain during Thursday evening. This will come as a small area of low pressure crosses the southern half of England and so there could be some periods of quite blustery winds with this too.
In total through Thursday there is potential for 25-30mm across the London area during Thursday. With the ground pretty well saturated that could well result in some disruption.
Looking a bit further ahead, the Met Office is keeping a close eye on developments for the weekend. There could be more rain and spells of strong winds.
Surviving A Storm:
Before
• Secure loose objects such as ladders, garden furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows and other glazing and break them.
• Close and securely fasten doors and windows, particularly those on the windward side of the house, and especially large doors such as those on garages.
• Park vehicles in a garage, if available; otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences.
• Close and secure loft trapdoors with bolts, particularly if roof pitch is less than 30°.
• Move valuable items, including important documents, to high levels.
• Ensure you have bottles of drinking water in case the water supply becomes contaminated.
During
• Stay indoors as much as possible. If you do go out, try not to walk or shelter close to buildings and trees.
• Keep away from the sheltered side of boundary walls and fences — if these structures fail, they will collapse on this side.
• Do not go outside to repair damage while the storm is in progress.
• If possible, enter and leave your house through doors in the sheltered side, closing them behind you.
• Open internal doors only as needed, and close them behind you.
• Take care when driving on exposed routes such as bridges, or high open roads, delay your journey or find alternative routes if possible.
• Never try to drive through flood water — 80% of flood deaths occur in vehicles.
• Avoid walking through flood water, streams or rivers in full flow — just six inches of rapidly moving water can knock a person over.
• If you have to evacuate your home or workplace turn off those utilities you can access.
• Avoid driving unless you journey is absolutely necessary.
After the storm
• Be careful not to touch any electrical/telephone cables that have been blown down or are still hanging.
• Do not walk too close to walls, buildings and trees as they could have been weakened.
• Make sure that any vulnerable neighbours or relatives are safe and help them make arrangements for any repairs.
• Check structural damage to buildings.
• If it is dark, use a torch, not candles.
• Throw away all foods, including canned goods, which have come into contact with flood water.
January 21, 2009