Storm Christoph collides with UK: ‘Major incident’ is declared amid widespread flooding fears

Storm Christoph sparked widespread chaos across Britain today as drivers battled through heavy rain, cars flipped over on motorways and council workers piled up sandbags to defend towns and cities against flooding.  

Britons were urged to prepare after an amber weather rain warning was issued by the Met Office from today until Thursday for northern England – affecting Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield and stretching down to Peterborough.

A major incident had been declared in South Yorkshire in preparation for significant flooding, with concerns mounting after emergency protocols were instigated two days ago and sandbags handed out in flood-risk areas. Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones said: ‘I do not want people to panic, but flooding is possible so please be prepared.’   

The Environment Agency described the combination of torrential rain and melting snow as a ‘volatile situation’, as councils prepare for possible evacuations in as little as ten minutes should a severe flood warning be issued.

In West Yorkshire, a Ferrari car crashed through a barrier on the M621 and flipped over, with the road having to be closed and Highways England tweeting a photograph of the incident, saying: ‘Storm Christoph 1 – Ferrari 0.’

In Leicester, a farmer was pictured helping a BMW driver who became stranded as his vehicle battled submerged roads. And St Ives in Cambridgeshire has seen more flooding today after the River Great Ouse burst its banks. 

This afternoon, the EA issued 16 flood warnings covering parts of Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, and 122 less serious flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, across northern England, the Midlands and the East. 

Barry Greenwood from West Yorkshire’s Upper Calder Valley Flood Prevention Group said he felt ‘sick’ with worry about the incoming storm, while Highways England urged motorists to take extra care on the roads.

Heavy rain is expected to hit the UK overnight tonight, with the Met Office warning homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.

It issued a ‘danger to life’ warning due to fast-flowing or deep floodwater, while there is a ‘good chance’ some communities may be cut off by flooded roads.

Up to 70mm (2.7in) is expected to fall but in isolated spots, particularly in the northern Peak District and parts of the southern Pennines, 200mm (7.8in) could be possible.

Met Office meteorologist Oli Claydon said that rain is ‘initially’ the main concern but the picture will change as low pressure could introduce colder air.

He explained: ‘As we go through the week and the low pressure that is bringing these fronts of rainfall that are persistent and heavy over the next few days … as that low pressure moves east and out into the North Sea, the winds will become a thing really later in the week.

‘Also as the low pressure moves away it pulls down a north-westerly airflow which brings much colder air across the UK again which then presents a further risk of snow.’ 

Mr Claydon described the situation as ‘a timeline of different hazards as we go through the week but the first hazard is certainly of rain and that’s reflected in the warnings at the moment’.

The most serious weather warning – amber for rain – has been in place across parts of the Midlands and northern England since this morning, alongside less serious yellow warnings for rain across Wales, Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland.

The highest rainfall recorded overnight was in Aberllefenni, west Wales, where 35.4mm (1.4in) fell between midnight and 8am today.

Of the areas in the amber warning zone, Bolton in Greater Manchester has seen the most rain so far, with 24.4mm (1in) over the same period.

By tomorrow, the yellow warnings for rain will stretch south to additionally cover all of England, all of which remain in place until midday on Thursday, alongside the more serious amber warning in central England.

Eastern Scotland is also facing a yellow warning for snow and from tomorrow afternoon through to Thursday lunchtime, with the threat of travel delays, power cuts and rural communities being isolated. 

Mr Claydon added: ‘It’s not going to be a short burst of bad weather like you may think of in terms of storms in the past where it quickly blows through overnight.

‘It’s really persistent heavy rain, the rain really is going to be persistent, just continuing all the way through today and tomorrow and into Thursday, it’s really just the prolonged accumulation of rainfall rather than a short come and gone weather event,’ he said. 

Floodwaters have already risen in parts of the country, with a motorist pictured stranded in Leicester, and workmen in York prepared flood defences this morning near the city’s River Ouse.

Catherine Wright, acting executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the EA, said: ‘That rain is falling on very wet ground and so we are very concerned that it’s a very volatile situation and we are expecting significant flooding to occur on the back of that weather.’

She said the EA will be working with local authorities to help with evacuation efforts should a severe flood warning be issued, adding: ‘If you do need to evacuate then that is allowed within the Covid rules the Government has.’ 

The Local Government Association has advised people to check with councils to keep up to date with advice as the storm moves through.

An LGA spokesman said: ‘They will share flood warnings and other relevant information so people should make sure they regularly check their council’s website and social media and follow their advice.’

Keith Crabtree, lead flood warden for Todmorden in West Yorkshire, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning that the hilltops in the area are ‘absolutely saturated, so when the worst of the rain comes over later today it’s going to impact on the valley bottoms quite severely’.

He added: ‘It happens very quickly. The sirens that we have to warn people of flooding – ten minutes, 20 minutes after those sirens go off, the flooding can be actually happening.

‘It’s likely that the impact will be bad for this afternoon. We’ve got a couple of bad days where people are at high risk.’

Highways England advised drivers to take extra care on motorways and major A roads, while the RAC breakdown service said motorists should only drive if absolutely necessary.