Snow, heavy rainfall raise flooding fears in UK

Saturday, February 27, 2010
LONDON: Parts of the UK could be hit by floods, with heavy rain and high winds forecast to batter the country over the weekend.

Snow has fallen on high ground in Scotland, while forecasters say up to 25mm (1in) of rain is expected over northern England.

Seven flood warnings have been issued for north-east England, and 62 flood watches across Scotland and England.

The warnings come after a woman died as a Land Rover was swept down a swollen river near Cropton, North Yorkshire.

Police found the vehicle almost totally submerged under a bridge on the North York Moors.

The floods could affect South East England on Sunday, with 40-50mph winds and up to 40mm of rain forecast.

BBC forecaster Helen Willetts said: "The ground is very saturated after all the rain we've seen recently.

"We're expecting more showers, particularly in southern areas, through Saturday. Then Sunday unleashes a really ferocious storm which is expected to batter Western Europe."

Southern and eastern areas of the UK are expected to bear the brunt, while high spring tides could combine with the rainfall to increase the risk of flooding along the east coast.

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