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UK weather: Month's worth of rain falls in just four days

A general view of the flooded area in Hemel Hampstead - Paul Childs/Reuters
A general view of the flooded area in Hemel Hampstead - Paul Childs/Reuters

A month's worth of rain has fallen within the space of just four days, leaving Britain deluged amid gale-force winds.

Three Met Office flood warnings were extended through until Sunday in addition to the first amber warnings for rainfall since March.

The Met Office said parts of Somerset have seen 124mm of rain since Friday (October 2), meaning the amount of rain expected in a month has hit the county in less than 48 hours.

These warnings capped off what have been a torrid few days of conditions, with gale-force winds of 61mph recorded across southern parts of the country on Friday night.

The Environment Agency has issued 17 flood warnings, affecting locations including the River Avon, the River Dene in Warwickshire, and Bear Brook and its surrounding tributaries in the Aylesbury area.

A flooded River Brue near to Westhay in Somerset. The UK's wet weekend will continue as a weather warning for rain across parts of Wales and England has been extended - Andrew Matthews/PA
A flooded River Brue near to Westhay in Somerset. The UK's wet weekend will continue as a weather warning for rain across parts of Wales and England has been extended - Andrew Matthews/PA

The Environment Agency has warned that "property flooding is expected" in Aylesbury throughout Sunday, and has warned residents to "move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety and follow the advice of the emergency services".

The River Cole at Coleshill, Warwickshire could see "flooding of property, roads and farmland", it said, advising those living locally to avoid using low-lying footpaths.

In addition to the warnings, the Agency has also issued 80 flood alerts, meaning that flooding is possible.

These cautions extend to the Lymington River, the River Leam and its surrounds, and the River Lee at Luton, Harpenden, and Wheathampstead.

People walk under trees reflected in a puddle after rainfall in Greenwich Park, south-east London - Justin Tallis/AFP
People walk under trees reflected in a puddle after rainfall in Greenwich Park, south-east London - Justin Tallis/AFP

In Scotland, a further 31 flood warnings and 12 alerts are in place, while Welsh meteorologists have not issued any warnings, but have publicised 20 different alerts.

No 'severe flood warnings', which would indicate a danger to life, have currently been issued by the Environment Agency, and 10 flood warnings have been within the last day.

Meteorologist Chris Fawkes told the BBC that some parts of the UK have already reached their average rainfall threshold for October in the first three days of the month.

Mr Fawkes said that these areas included Winchcombe in the Cotswolds and Liscombe in Somerset. and added that the area of low pressure responsible for the wet weather "is the load that brought severe flooding in Italy this week and to south-east France".

Storm Alex has badly affected areas of southeastern France and northern Italy in recent days, with three deaths now confirmed and dozens more people missing.