Flood alerts have been issued across Wales as Storm Herminia makes its impact felt, prompting a full list of ‘be prepared’ warnings. The Met Office has raised an alert for heavy rainfall that could potentially lead to significant impacts in various regions of Wales on Monday.
With a yellow warning for rain in place, there are currently 10 flood alerts active. The warning indicates the possibility of heavy rain causing flooding on roads and properties in most of Wales until 11.59 pm on Monday. The Met Office forecasts rainfall between 20mm to 40mm across a wide area, with higher ground areas expecting up to 50mm to 70mm. Recordings in Devon showed 35.8mm of rain on Sunday, accompanied by strong winds with gusts reaching 83mph in southern Devon and 81mph in north Wales.
Most of the flood warnings issued by the Natural Resources Wales focus on the south-west and coastal areas. The areas covered include the Lower Severn catchment in Powys, North Wales coast, River Wye in Powys, Upper Towy, Pembrokeshire coast, West Anglesey coastline, Lleyn Peninsula and Cardigan Bay coastline, River Ewenny and Vale of Glamorgan West, River Neath, Rivers Loughor and Amman, and River Cothi.
The agency has cautioned that a combination of high tides and weather conditions in coastal areas could lead to flooding between 7.30 am and 10.30 am on Monday morning. Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna stated that unsettled weather is expected in the coming days, with successive spells of wet and windy conditions exacerbating impacts.
While Storm Herminia is not as powerful as Storm Eowyn, it is still expected to bring strong winds. The forecast for Monday in Wales anticipates windy conditions with showers, longer periods of rain, and coastal gales. Heavy and thundery downpours are also possible, increasing the risk of localized flooding.
The Met Office’s yellow warning for rain highlights the potential for showers or longer spells of rain throughout Monday, affecting several areas including Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, and Wrexham.
Residents are urged to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions as the adverse weather conditions persist. Natural Resources Wales continues to monitor the situation closely, providing updates and guidance to ensure the safety of individuals and properties in flood-prone areas across Wales.