London, Europe Brief News – Stormy conditions and impacts from high winds are expected to hit the UK this winter, an Environment Agency (EA) warned
The EA also warned of the dangers of extreme weather events and urging people not to be complacent following this summer’s dry weather.
Caroline Douglass, the EA’s executive director for flood and coastal risk management, said it will take a “lot more rainfall than we currently are receiving” for the UK to be out of drought next year, saying “we could see some more impacts this winter from flooding as a result of the drought” but this would depend on factors such as where rain falls and the volume.
Over 5 million homes and businesses in England are at risk of flooding. Climate change is only increasing that risk. Don’t assume it won’t happen to you, the agency said in a tweet.
“Australia has witnessed stormy weather at the moment. We’ve had Pakistan, Bangladesh, Europe, North America hit by hurricanes. So this is all about being prepared and people knowing what they need to do, checking their flood risk and making sure they’re signed up for flood warnings. They can act accordingly when there is an actual flood.”
She added: “We can still have flooding while we’re in drought.
“Just because we are in drought doesn’t mean we won’t get floods. When the soils are really dry, you get more runoff. You can have more impacts as a result of the drought from a flood perspective.
