The Met Office has issued a serious amber weather warning for parts of Wales, with forecasters predicting intense rainfall and a significant risk of extensive flooding from Sunday night through Monday.
Amber Alert Details and Forecast
An amber warning for rain is in force for south Wales and areas of mid-Wales on Monday. The national weather service warns that heavy and persistent rain, moving in from late Sunday, could lead to flooding that may cut off some communities, potentially for several days. Damage to buildings and power cuts are also possible.
The Met Office stated that while 20-40mm of rain will fall widely, some regions, particularly over high ground like the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), could see 60-80mm accumulate. A few locations may even receive closer to 100-120mm of rainfall.
"In addition to the potential for flooding impacts, this increases the chance of landslides on both natural and infrastructure slopes," the forecast added.
Immediate Impacts and Official Warnings
By Monday afternoon, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had issued seven flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action is required. A further 51 flood alerts were active across the country.
Richard Preece of NRW urged caution, noting that river levels were already high before this latest deluge. "We want to remind people to keep away from swollen riverbanks and not to drive or walk through flood waters as you don’t know what lies beneath," he said. Preece also expressed concern for communities recently hit by flooding in Monmouthshire, which face potential impacts again.
Travel Disruption Across the Region
The severe weather has already caused transport chaos. Train services were cancelled between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog in north Wales and between Swansea and Shrewsbury in England.
On the roads, Traffic Wales reported poor driving conditions on the M4 in south Wales. High winds also led to restrictions on the Britannia Bridge linking Anglesey to the mainland.
In England, the Environment Agency had six flood warnings and 56 flood alerts active, mainly across northern, western, and south-western parts of the country.
