Emergency services have declared a major incident in South Wales following severe and widespread flooding that has prompted large-scale rescue operations and evacuations. The crisis coincides with a cold weather alert issued for five regions across England, raising concerns about significant impacts on health services.
Emergency Response in Monmouth
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service declared the major incident in Monmouth at approximately 1.30am, with crews working through the night to conduct rescues, evacuations and welfare checks. Area Manager Matt Jones described the situation as a "large-scale incident" and praised the professionalism of emergency teams working in difficult conditions.
"I would urge the public to avoid the Monmouth area completely," Jones stated. "The flooding is significant, and we need to keep routes clear to allow emergency services to reach the people who need us most."
Flood Warnings and Weather Impact
Natural Resources Wales has issued four severe flood warnings indicating "significant risk to life and significant disruption to the community is expected." These warnings affect areas along the River Monnow in Skenfrith, Osbaston and Over Monnow, plus the River Wye at Monmouth.
The flooding crisis has been triggered by Storm Claudia, which brought amber weather warnings and torrential rain across large parts of the UK on Friday. The Met Office reported that some areas could experience up to a month's worth of rainfall within 24 hours.
By 4pm on Friday, Tafalog in Gwent had recorded 81.8mm of rain - representing 60% of the region's average November rainfall. Additional flood warnings and alerts remain active across both Wales and England.
Cold Weather Health Alert
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow cold weather alert affecting five English regions: East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber. The alert remains in effect from 8am on Monday 17 November until 8am on Friday 21 November.
The UKHSA warns that "significant impacts are possible across health and social care services," including potential increases in mortality among people aged 65 and over, or those with existing health conditions. The Met Office forecasts temperatures could drop below freezing in some areas next week.
Travel Disruption Continues
The severe weather has caused significant travel disruption across multiple transport networks. Great Western Railway has advised passengers not to travel between London Paddington and Bristol or South Wales due to line flooding. Services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple have been suspended for the same reason.
Several other operators including Avanti West Coast, Northern, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales and Chiltern Railways are reporting widespread disruption and cancellations to their timetables.
Weather warnings remain in place across multiple regions, with a yellow rain warning active until 6am on Saturday for most of Wales and parts of northern England. Separate warnings apply in Northern Ireland until noon on Saturday.
