Somerset Council declared a major incident on January 26 after torrential rain led to severe flooding across several areas of Southwest England, including Chard, Ilminster and Somerton. The incident has resulted in evacuation of about 100 people from their homes, with many forced to seek shelter at emergency rest centres set up by the Council and local volunteers.
As per a BBC report, the stormy weather has battered parts of the UK, causing the roadblocks, delayed or cancelled trains and school closures.
For providing support to the affected, rest centres were set up for people who had to leave their homes in three Somerset towns- Chard, Ilminster and Somertaon. The BBC report indicated that this flooding is among the worst witnessed by long-term residents, with highways teams responding to about 50 incidents.
The fire service and other rescue teams evacuated nearly everyone living at Primrose Hill Residential Park at Charlton Mackrell, reported BBC. Residents of a care home, Burnworthy House in South Petherton were also evacuated.
More than 30 flood warnings and 150 flood alerts in place for England and three Met Office yellow warnings in England and Wales for heavy rain and strong winds on Monday afternoon.
The Met Office issued yellow warnings of rain and wind across parts of the UK. South and West Wales are under a rain warning until 9 p.m. on Tuesday with potential for localised flooding, while another yellow alert for rain covering parts of southern England runs until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, reported the Independent. Gusts of 84 mph and almost 60 mm of rainfall hits parts of southern England on Monday. Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna told Independent that further flooding is likely through Tuesday evening.
Is This the Beginning of 2025’s Extreme Weather?
The Southern UK and Midlands do experience extreme weather events, according to ET. Heavy downpours and sudden storms are driven by climate change, which alters atmospheric patterns. Greenhouse gases trap heat, causing temperatures to rise and accelerating evaporation. This results in intense rainfall, often leading to flooding.
As temperatures rise due to climate change, the air’s capacity to hold moisture increases by 7% for every 1 degrees Celsius rise. In 2024, the global average temperature was 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). This increased moisture retention contributes to the rise in rainfall and consequently, flooding.
As stated in the 2023 IPCC report, climate-fuelled disasters are already worse than expected. Additionally, scientists warn that more warming is inevitable, even if emissions are reduced, according to WWF.
