Weekend Weather Horrendous In South West And Midlands

June 15, 2012

BRITAIN'S weather misery is set to continue today and over the weekend as a 'once-in-50-years' downpour brings rain of up to 80mm in 12 hours.

The Environment Agency has issued flood warnings for people in west Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, north Wales and parts of the Midlands today after the Met Office issued a weather alert for heavy rain, The Daily Mail reports.

Meteorologists were predicting that up to 10mm could fall in one hour during today's rain, and as much as 30mm over a 12-hour period.

The Weather Channel said rivers would be overwhelmed and warned of a "major flooding event."

Weather Channel forecaster Leon Brown said: "There's a 50 per cent possibility of extreme downpours seeing over 80mm of rain in 12 hours in south and east Wales, which is a once-in-50 years event."

We urge everyone to remain vigilant ahead of further rainfall tomorrow and over the weekend."

Strong winds of up to 60mph are expected to further complicate matters. The extreme weather is being caused by a low pressure system building up over the Atlantic, which is set to hit the south west first before spreading across the country.