Flash floods hit southwest England by Susan Powell
A band of heavy rain swept across the UK on Saturday morning, bringing torrential downpours to southwest England and causing widespread flooding and disruption.
Fire and rescue crews were pushed to their limit. In Devon, seven people had to be rescued from their cars after getting stuck in floodwaters.
The rain was caused by a very active frontal system which spread in from the west, a sharp contrast to the cold and dry conditions of the past week.
Yeovilton in Somerset had 34mm (1.3 inches) of rain in 24 hours, with half of this falling in just one hour. The average rainfall for the whole of December in Yeovilton is 80mm. December and January are the wettest months of the year for southwest England. During these months Atlantic depressions are at their most vigorous due to the relatively warm sea temperatures.
The rain is forecast to continue to track eastwards on Saturday afternoon, and the flood risk is likely to continue for the rest of the weekend.
