Wales faces ‘danger to life’ flood risk as amber warning issued

Wales is bracing for significant  flooding on Monday, with the Met Office issuing an amber “danger to life” rain warning covering a large area of the south and dozens of alerts in place across the country.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had seven flood warnings and 50 flood alerts in force on Monday morning, with river levels rising rapidly.

The most serious warnings cover the River Lower Clydach at Clydach Bridge, River Cothi at Pontargothi and Pontynyswen, River Cothi at low lying areas – Pontargothi and Pontynyswen, River Towy at Llanwrda, Rivers Colwyn and Glaslyn at Beddgelert, River Hydfron at Llanddowror and the River Ely at Peterston Super Ely.

The Met Office says many parts of Wales could see between 20mm and 40mm of rain, with up to 80mm in hilly areas – and as much as 120mm on the highest ground within the amber warning zone.

In some places, that’s close to a month’s worth of rain in a single day.

Already-saturated ground means the impact of this latest deluge will be “significant”, forecasters warn.

Wales has recorded around 240mm of rainfall so far in November – well above the long-term average of 162mm for the month.

NRW has urged residents to take immediate precautions. “With further heavy rainfall on the way, rivers are expected to respond quickly,” a spokesperson said. “People should check flood alerts in their area, prepare to take action, and avoid attempting to drive through floodwater.”

The Met Office has warned that fast-flowing or deep floodwater could pose a danger to life. The amber warning states:

“Heavy rain is likely to bring disruption and probable flooding. In addition to flooding impacts, this increases the chance of landslides on both natural and infrastructure slopes. Strong south-westerly winds with coastal gales will accompany the rain.”

Landslides

The British Geological Survey also noted that rainfall totals of this scale have previously triggered landslides in Wales.

Travel disruption is considered highly likely, with road and rail journeys expected to be affected. Some communities could become cut off due to blocked or flooded roads, and there is a “slight chance” of power cuts and loss of other services to homes and businesses.

Yellow warnings also remain in force across parts of north and mid Wales until early Tuesday, with further unsettled weather expected into mid-week. Another Atlantic system will sweep in from the south-west late Sunday into Monday night, bringing more heavy rain to South Wales.

Despite the grim start to the week, forecasters say Tuesday and Wednesday should be “brighter, more showery” before another spell of wet weather arrives later in the week.

Residents can check real-time flood alerts at naturalresources.wales/flooding.