Major incidents declared as UK grapples with floods, snow and ice | Global News Avenue

Heavy rain caused severe flooding across the Midlands on Monday, with major incidents declared in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire and dozens of people rescued.

Firefighters in Leicestershire rescued 59 people on Monday after responding to hundreds of calls, while 50 children in Lincolnshire were rushed to safety after their school was cut off by floodwaters.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Police are seeking help to identify the body of a man found in floodwaters in Beale, near Eggborough and Nottingley.

Nearly 200 flood warnings have been issued in parts of England, while A yellow weather warning for ice and snow has been issued for parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as north-west and south-west England until Tuesday morning.

Travel disruption caused by cold and wet weather affected much of the UK on Monday, with roads, rail and airports affected.

In Leicestershire, crews were involved in incidents involving cars trapped in floodwaters, evacuating residents from flooded homes and dealing with rising water levels.

The fire service said 59 members of the public had been rescued from homes as of Monday evening.

In Lincolnshire, 50 children were rushed to safety after their school was cut off by flooding and a major incident was declared in the county

All roads leading to Edenham Primary School near Bourne are flooded after heavy rain. Volunteer drivers drove the children through the water to safety in four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Police said bodies recovered from flooded areas in Beale are believed to have fallen into the water on Saturday or Sunday.

As of Monday evening, there were 193 Flood warnings, indicating flooding is expected, and 305 flood warnings, indicating flooding is possible, have been issued across England.

1 flood warning issued in Wales, 16 Flood warnings are in place.

The Met Office snow and ice warning for much of Scotland comes into force at 16:00 and will last until noon on Tuesday.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for ice and snow will remain in place until 11:00 on Tuesday.

A yellow warning for snow and ice comes into force at 17:00 on Monday and lasts until 10:00 on Tuesday for Wales and parts of north-west and south-west England.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with everyone affected by the floods and thanked “rescuers who are working hard to keep communities safe”.

In the House of Commons, Environment Secretary Emma Hardy told MPs that flooding was a “personal priority” for her, adding that the Environment Agency was paying special attention to Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

She warned of further localized flooding over the next 24 to 36 hours and pledged to overhaul the government’s approach to flood defense funding “to ensure the challenges faced by businesses and rural and coastal communities are taken into account when flood defenses are provided.”

Temperatures at Loch Glascanoch in Scotland reached -13.3 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday night, recording the coldest temperature of the British winter so far.

Snowfall forced schools in northeast Scotland and northern England to close on Monday morning on the first day after the Christmas holidays.

Thousands of homes and businesses in northeast England must have their power restored due to blackouts caused by the cold snap, according to network operator Northern Grid.

Roads across the UK are being affected by the weather. Widespread flooding in Gloucester forced the M5 motorway to close on Monday morning. The M25 in Surrey was also closed after a truck overturned and blocked the carriageway.

Rail lines across the UK have been affected by flooding and Manchester Airport has again been forced to close two runways after heavy snowfall.

The weather will feel quieter tonight as the area of ​​low pressure that brought the snow and rain this morning has dissipated to the east but left behind some very cold air and some wintry showers.

There will be widespread frost, with temperatures dropping well below freezing, and the risk of ice forming almost everywhere.

Frost will occur not only within the warning area, but also further east where the snow has melted and the ground is still wet from recent rainfall.

Northwesterly winds will also bring more winter showers during the evening and overnight hours. These showers may occur frequently and fall as sleet or snow, especially over high ground where there may be some accumulation.

In northern and western Scotland, winter showers are expected, with altitudes reaching 5-10cm above 200m.

There will also be scattered winter showers for similar areas tomorrow, but for many areas it will be dry with some sunshine but very cold with temperatures not above the median.

Separate snowfall warnings have been issued for counties in southern England on Wednesday, valid from 09:00 to midnight, which could cause damage and produce up to 2-5cm of snow in considerable areas.

However, predictions for this remain uncertain.

The world has warmed by more than 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times. British winters are changing as a result.

While the climate generally continues to warm, we will still see short periods of extreme hot and cold weather, but extreme cold weather will likely become fewer and longer between.

Climate change will bring us more rainfall. A warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture, so more intense rainfall is expected to be an increasingly prominent feature of British winters, along with a higher risk of flooding.