This year has seen some of the worst flooding in decades, across many parts of the country. The flooding has meant property insurance claims being made across properties situated in the affected zones.
Today we are expecting yet another downpour across much of England before a dry evening. The day’s rainfall is predicted to cause yet more flooding with many parts of the country already completely saturated. There are flood warnings in Wales, the South East, the West Country as well as many other parts of the country. Images of submerged railway lines in Devon or an inundated Tewkesbury have been prevalent in the last two months.
London has seen the Thames drainage system ‘overwhelmed’ by the hydrological activity of late and the Thames Barrier even had to be lifted for the first time (due to flooding) since March 2010 in order to protect low lying areas such as the Thames Valley. The barrier also protected an electrical substation right up near Reading, which could have caused power cuts to some 40 thousand properties.
Tonight should be a dry one though, which is lucky for New Years party-goers thinking of going to see the fireworks at midnight.
Only 46mm of rain is needed to fall today though to make 2012 the wettest year the UK has seen since 1910. Let us hope that this wet weather isn’t a growing trend for the future and is just a one-off for 2012!