Another #ukstorm to hit on Friday

Having just dealt with one of the most powerful storms of the winter yesterday, tomorrow will see another slam into the UK.

Whilst tomorrow’s storm won’t produce winds as strong as what we experienced yesterday, it will still pack enough of a punch to cause further problems and disruption.

The routine of bracing ourselves for yet more stormy weather may now be familiar, but gets no easier, as our saturated land is unable to hold any more water.

Many homes alongside the River Thames are at risk of flooding, with the rivers Severn and Wye also threatening properties too.

The Somerset Levels are still under water, with little prospect of the situation improving significantly any time soon.

Tomorrow’s storm will bring the usual combination of heavy rain and severe gales, spelling more misery in the days to come.

Heavy rain

As the storm moves northwards during Friday and Saturday, it will deliver another soaking across the country.

The latest information suggests that southern and western parts of the UK will see the greatest amount of rain, with 15-25mm falling widely and as much as 40mm over the hills, mountains and moors.

This will only elevate the risk of river and surface water flooding, given that the ground has no capacity to absorb any more water.

The latest Environment Agency three-day flood risk forecast highlights the lower reaches of the Thames at a high risk of flooding in the next few days, along with the Somerset Levels.

Severe gales

Gales or severe gales will also arrive with the next storm, with coastal counties of southern England and East Anglia seeing the strongest gusts of wind.

In these areas, gusts could reach 60-70mph widely, with 80mph along the coast. For the rest of the UK, gusts in the range of 40-60mph are likely.

With sea defences weakened along the Dorset coast from storms earlier this winter, the Environment Agency is warning that there is a high risk of coastal flooding during Friday and Saturday.

Signs of a respite next week

Finally, there seems to be some good news on the weather charts next week. The jet stream is going to weaken significantly from around 200mph to 125mph.

As the jet stream develops these storms and acts as a conveyor belt for transporting them, a weakening jet stream means that low pressure systems will be less intense and more infrequent.

So, whilst it is not going to stay completely dry, it’s unlikely to be as windy and there’ll be longer drier spells between the bands of rain.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. I’ll also be posting regular updates on Twitter – @liamdutton