Winter storms threaten to unleash holy havoc across much of United Kingdom

December 2015 – UNITED KINGDOM – More than 100 flood alerts and warnings have been issued across England and Wales as Britain is braced for a Boxing Day marred by torrential rain and flooding. Up to 120mm of rain is expected to fall in parts of the North West between now and Saturday, feeding already-swollen rivers in Cumbria that now threatens to burst for the fourth time this month. The Government’s emergency Cobra committee met as the Army deployed to towns across Cumbria to build up flood defenses before winter storm Eva makes landfall, bringing winds of up to 80 mph and persistent downpours with it.

Met Office forecasters have issued an amber warning of rain for Cumbria and the North West lasting into Saturday night, estimating 50mm to 80mm of rain to fall on high ground and up to 120mm over exposed areas. By mid-afternoon on Christmas Day the Environment Agency (EA) had issued 97 flood alerts across England and Wales, plus eight warnings in the North East, North West and Wales that flooding was “imminent.” Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Elizabeth Truss, chaired a meeting of Cobra. In a statement following the meeting she said: “Our priority continues to be protecting lives, protecting homes and protecting businesses. –Daily Mail

Weather Bomb: Flood-ravaged communities have been warned to brace for further misery while eight inches of snow is set to blanket the north. As Cumbria battles the latest bout of devastating floods forecasters have warned the entire country to brace for weather mayhem. Winds will pick up on Sunday before several deep low-pressure systems crash into Britain after the weekend. The Met Office has ramped up severe weather warnings for central England tomorrow with an amber alert in place for rain. Up to five inches is expected to drench the region with flood-hit Cumbria braced for another battering over the next 24 hours.

However all eyes are on a major storm system sweeping across the Atlantic on Tuesday night into Wednesday. A rapidly strengthening low-pressure system will whip up winds of up to 90mph as it hurtles towards Britain. Weather models show its central pressure dropping more than 24 mb in 24 hours from 989 mb to 952 mb – known as explosive cyclogenesis or a ‘weather bomb.’ Piers Corbyn, forecaster for WeatherAction, said: “A storm coming in from the Atlantic on Tuesday is looking very worrying, it is one of the strongest we have seen in a very long time.

“It is associated with a very rapid intensification which is known as a ‘weather bomb’ bringing fierce winds with gusts of 90mph. “It is shaping up to be a horrendous and very damaging storms system.” The Met Office said Britain faces a wet and windy run up to the New Year with severe gales, snow and rain on the way. Although it has not issued a name for the next storm, Frank will follow Abigail, Barney, Clodagh, Desmond and most recently Eva. Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: “A low pressure system moving in on Boxing Day will affect most of the UK with heavy rain forecast over Scotland and the north. –UK Express