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2023 United Kingdom floods

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In 2023, the United Kingdom experienced flooding.

January

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On 14 January, the Met Office issued 98 flood warnings and 169 alerts across England.[1] The River Ouse broke its banks, causing severe flooding in York which left parts of the city centre submerged,[2] with rescue workers seen travelling down the street in boats.[1] The River Severn also broke its banks in some areas, causing flooding in Shrewsbury.[1][3] A mother and her six-month-old baby were saved from a flood near Nynehead, Somerset which left their car stuck.[4] In Devon, the River Exe burst its banks between the villages of Oakfordbridge and Exebridge,[5] which also affected Bickleigh.[6] The Great Western Railway faced delays, with two train lines blocked between Bristol Parkway and Swindon, and the line between Bristol Temple Meads, Bath and Swindon.[7] The line between Totnes and Plymouth was also blocked.[8]

On 16 January, severe flooding affected East Sussex after heavy rain overnight. In Hastings, the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre had to be closed after it was severely flooded, as well as the surrounding area.[9] Many roads around in the town closed, as well as parts of many A roads being closed or affected.[10] Other flooded areas included East Lavant, Ashburnham, Shripney, Sedlescombe, Westham and Alfriston. In Polegate, large pumping trucks were called out to deal with surface water which had formed on roads throughout the town.[11] Seven "take action now" flood warnings were issued in Sussex.[12] In Dorset, an industrial estate in Woolsbridge was flooded,[13] and a road was blocked by floodwater in Burton.[14] On 18 January, a major incident was declared in Somerset by the Environment Agency due to flooding risks.[15] On 24 January, the major incident in Somerset came to an end.[16]

On 19 January, part of the A303 in Wiltshire was closed due to flooding.[15]

March

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On 23 March, roads flooded near Sea Mills railway station in Bristol.[17]

May

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On 9 May, a major incident was declared in Somerset following flash flooding in the Galhampton, North Cadbury and South Cadbury areas following heavy rain.[18] Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service evacuated homes that were flooded.[19] Frome saw roads flooded.[20]

On 19 May, flash flooding closed roads in Weymouth following a thunderstorm.[21]

June

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On 12 June 2023, heavy rain and thunderstorms caused flooding in Golders Green in north west London.[22] Watford Junction station was shut causing disruption.[23] In Staffordshire, the A50 road was shut after a flash flood in the Meir tunnel.[24] A Morrisons supermarket in Stamford, Lincolnshire was evacuated when water started pouring in and part of the ceiling collapsed.[25] St Amand's Catholic Primary School in Wantage was shut because of flooding.[26] At Luton and Dunstable University Hospital there was a “localised flooding issue” in the building.[27] Met Office warnings were given on 16 June for weekend floods.[28]

On 20 June, heavy rain and thunderstorms which received a severe weather warning from the Met Office hit England's south coast, causing flash floods. In Brighton, many people's homes were flooded, as well as businesses including a Waitrose shop and a Wetherspoons pub. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called out to 18 flood related incidents in the area, and a woman reportedly broke her ankle after falling on a flooded footpath near Preston Park railway station.[29]

July

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On 9 July, flooding hit Flintshire and Wrexham Borough in North Wales.[30] North Wales Police advised motorists to avoid the coast road in Flintshire from Connah's Quay to Greenfield.[31] There were also flood warnings across Sheffield, for Bagley Dike in Grimsthorpe, Meers Brook at Heeley and tributaries in north Derbyshire and Pontefract.[32] Roads in Birmingham were also flooded.[33]

August

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On 27 August, an elderly couple drowned after driving their car into floodwater in Mossley Hill, Liverpool.[34][35]

September

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On 18 September, there was localised flooding in some areas.[36] The worst affected area was the West Country in Southern England.[37] Flash floods ripped through the village of Kenton in Devon.[38] Exeter Airport was closed temporarily when the terminal was flooded.[39] A flood alert was made for coastal areas in East Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.[40] Butlin's Minehead was closed after flooding in Somerset.[41] A Wetherspoons pub in Taunton was flooded.[42] On 27 September 2023, Storm Agnes hit the UK with strong winds and heavy rain, which brought flooding in parts of the UK and Ireland.

October

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Flooding of the Dalmuir twin railway tunnels, Scotland, on 7 October 2023

On 7 October 2023, exceptionally heavy rain hit Scotland causing flooding in Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire, and other areas.[43] On 19 October 2023, Storm Babet hit Scotland with strong winds and heavy rain, with most parts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross 250 millimetres (9.8 in) of rain was predicted to fall in these areas from 19-20 October 2023, causing a red warning for rain in these areas too.[44] The South Yorkshire village of Catcliffe was flooded, despite new flood defences which were installed after the floods of 2007.[45] Flooding caused by Storm Babet killed three people.[46] A flood in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire caused over £46,000 worth of damage at Notts Gymnastics Academy.[47]

In late October, Britain was hit by further flooding and heavy rain.[48] The Priory Meadow Shopping Centre in Hastings was evacuated after floods.[49] The Ship Inn at Cockwood in Devon collapsed after heavy rain.[50] Localised floods in Lanchester, County Durham caused homes to be evacuated.[51] A man was swept out to sea at Burnham-on-Sea.[52] In Dorset, businesses in Sherborne were damaged by flash floods.[53] A woman in her car was rescued after her car became stuck in a ford at nearby Chetnole.[54] Flash floods also affected the Isle of Wight.[55] In Cornwall, the town of Mevagissey, Fowey, Looe and Polperro were affected by floods.[56]

December

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Wintery conditions in early December resulted in 50 flood warnings across the UK.[57] In Dorset, the River Frome flooded in the village of Stratton near Dorchester.[58] The warnings spanned along the Jurassic Coast from Bridport to Chideock and Charmouth and also Dorchester, Maiden Newton and Beaminster.[59] In Somerset, roads were flooded.[60] The A358 road near Ilminster became unpassable in both directions.[61] In Worcestershire, floods closed several county roads.[62] The Barbourne Brook in Worcester was at risk of floods.[63]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Flood warnings in place across UK over weekend heavy rain". ITV News. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  2. ^ "UK set for cold snap after weekend of floods". BBC News. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Further flooding warned as roads submerged ahead of snow alert". The Independent. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Mother and six-month-old baby saved from Somerset flood". BBC News. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Villagers begin clean-up after flooding at Exebridge in Devon". BBC News. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Flooding at Exebridge and Bickleigh, Devon". BBC News. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Heavy rain causes roads to flood and GWR rail disruption". BBC News. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Main Devon railway line reopens after flooding". BBC News. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Shopping Centre closed as heavy rain and flooding leaves both sides underwater". ITV News. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Flooding after heavy overnight rain". BBC News. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  11. ^ Fox, Thomas (16 January 2023). "Parts of Sussex still underwater after torrential rain causes floods near homes". SussexLive. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  12. ^ Donnelly, Luke (16 January 2023). "Multiple 'act now' flood warnings in Sussex after heavy rain drenches county". SussexLive. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  13. ^ "'This is the worst I've ever seen': Workers tell of moment flooding hit as 23 rescued". Bournemouth Echo. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Driver forced to abandon car in floodwater as heavy rain causes major issues". Bournemouth Echo. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Floodwater forces major road's closure". BBC News. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Somerset flooding threat is no longer a major incident, says Environment Agency". BBC News. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  17. ^ Brown, Shannon (23 March 2023). "Bristol underwater as flooding disrupts city". BristolLive. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Flash flooding: Major incident declared after heavy rain in south". BBC News. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Somerset flooding: Homes evacuated as storm hits county". BBC News. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  20. ^ "UK weather: Gardens and bridges flood in Somerset as 'insane' hail, heavy rain, thunder and lightning hit England". Sky News. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  21. ^ "WATCH: Thunderstorms and flash flooding hit Dorset". Dorset Echo. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Cars in London push through thunderstorm flooding". BBC News. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  23. ^ "TV actor shares video of 'knee- deep flooding' at Watford Junction station". Yahoo News. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  24. ^ Byatt, Flora (12 June 2023). "RECAP: Flooding shuts A50 Meir Tunnel as storms hit". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  25. ^ Coupe, Kerry (12 June 2023). "Two supermarkets closed after thunderstorm causes damage". Rutland & Stamford Mercury. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  26. ^ "Oxfordshire school CLOSED due to flooding". Oxford Mail. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  27. ^ Ferguson, Donna (12 June 2023). "UK weather: Met Office extends amber thunderstorm warning after floods". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  28. ^ Media, P. A. (16 June 2023). "Warning of floods over weekend, with storms set to hit parts of UK". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  29. ^ Wadsworth, Jo (20 June 2023). "Homes and businesses flooded after thunderstorm hits Brighton and Hove". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  30. ^ "Flooding: Clean-up continues across parts of Wrexham and Flintshire following thunderstorms". ITV News. 9 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Floods: Drivers warned as roads left under water after heavy rain". BBC News. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Flash flooding, lightning and thunder hits parts of Yorkshire". ITV News. 9 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Flash flooding in the Midlands causes travel chaos and festival cancellations". ITV News. 9 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Liverpool flood deaths: Married couple who died named by police". BBC News. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  35. ^ Bolton, Will (28 August 2023). "Elderly couple die after driving into flooded road". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  36. ^ "Hurricane Lee aftermath to hit UK as Exeter Airport reopens following flash floods". Sky News. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  37. ^ Chappell, Peter (18 September 2023). "UK weather: flash floods and lightning strike southern England". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  38. ^ "Clean-up operation under way after Devon flash floods". BBC News. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  39. ^ "Exeter Airport reopens after flash flooding". BBC News. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  40. ^ "East coast of Dorset flood alert area - GOV.UK". check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  41. ^ "Minehead Butlin's closes after flood damage in Somerset". BBC News. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  42. ^ Codd, Toby (18 September 2023). "Wetherspoon pub flooded after heavy rain battered Somerset". SomersetLive. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  43. ^ Cooney, Christy (7 October 2023). "Ten people airlifted to safety after torrential rain in Scotland causes flooding". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  44. ^ "Storm Babet – live: Third person killed after red weather warnings as entire village cut off in flood chaos". The Independent. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  45. ^ "Yorkshire flooding: Catcliffe residents feel abandoned by authorities". BBC News. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Deaths rise to three as flooding hits UK". BBC News. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  47. ^ Waring, Chris (27 October 2023). "Flooded gym facing huge bill to replace equipment". BBC News. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  48. ^ "Hastings floods were tragic and plan needed - Southern Water". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  49. ^ "Hastings shopping centre evacuated after major floods". BBC News. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  50. ^ "The Ship Inn at Cockwood collapses following heavy rain". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  51. ^ "Flooding in Lanchester, County Durham, sees homes evacuated". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  52. ^ "Coastguard search for man in water at Burnham-On-Sea". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  53. ^ "Flooding: Dorset business say they are 'ruined'". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  54. ^ "Woman trapped in car is rescued from Sherborne floods". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  55. ^ "Isle of Wight: Residents tackle floods amid rain forecasts". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  56. ^ "Coastal towns affected by flooding". BBC News. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  57. ^ "UK weather: Travel disruption expected as nearly 50 flood warnings in place". Sky News. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  58. ^ "Dramatic aerial photos show flooding from River Frome". Dorset Echo. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  59. ^ "Flood warnings issued across Dorset as river levels rise". BBC News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  60. ^ "Roads & schools closed, recycling & refuse collections missed, property flooded". Chard & Ilminster News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  61. ^ "A358 'impassable both ways due to flooding' near Ilminster". Chard & Ilminster News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  62. ^ "Flooding closes several roads in Worcestershire". Worcester News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  63. ^ "New flood alert issued in Worcester warning flooding is possible". Worcester News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
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