Dozens of holidaymakers were evacuated from a flooded Northamptonshire Park as the Met Office issued fresh warnings for heavy rain that could trigger more widespread flooding and disrupt travel across Britain.
According to new yellow weather warning covering most of England and Wales, heavy rains are predicted from 5 pm on Thursday to 10 am on Friday. While the West Midlands, North Wales, and the North West will be spared, other regions could experience up to 30mm of rain within just two to three hours, with totals possibly reaching 60mm over four to six hours. The Met Office also cautioned about “lightning and strong, gusty winds” and warned that power outages could occur.
“There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life,” the forecaster said.
In Northamptonshire, 43 people were forced to evacuate Billing Aquadrome holiday park overnight as floodwaters rose rapidly. Firefighters and police helped move those affected to safety. According to West Northamptonshire Council, only “a very limited number of people remain there.”
This latest weather alert follows another yellow warning for heavy rain on Thursday, which stretched across the North East from Newcastle to Skegness. The Met Office noted that the Pennines and North York Moors could see as much as 100mm of rain.
Earlier this week, parts of central and southern England saw rainfall levels exceeding a month’s worth of rain in just 48 hours, with some areas recording three months’ worth during the same period. Woburn in Bedfordshire was hit particularly hard, recording 142.8mm of rain—more than double its average for the entire month of September.
Weather presenter Jo Wheeler warned that while the incoming rain system may not linger for long in the north, it could still cause localised flooding and travel issues. However, the system is expected to slow down as it moves back south, potentially delivering another inch of rain to areas already waterlogged earlier in the week.
With high pressure building over the weekend, much of the country will see some relief—except for the northwest, which may face further heavy rain and strong winds as another storm system approaches on Sunday.
The Environment Agency currently has dozens of flood warnings in place, with Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, and Bedfordshire among the areas most at risk of imminent flooding.
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