More rains forecast as England, Wales see wettest months since 1766

BRITAIN: More rains were forecast for flood-hit areas where meteorologists said the three months from May to July were the wettest in England and Wales since records began in 1766.

The heavy rains came in two waves, one on June 24 and 25, that flooded much of northern and central England, killing four people, and another on July 20 that submerged swathes of south and west England.

The current flooding is the worst in 60 years, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without tap water, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of homes, and spreading chaos on both roads and railways.

The figures released by the weather forecasting agency, the Met Office, showed that 387.6 millimetres (15.3 inches) of rain has fallen across England and Wales, the most since records were first kept in 1766.

Even with the month not yet over, the total rainfall amount is already more than twice the May-to-June average, which is 186.3 millimetres.

And although officials said levels along most of the Severn and Thames Rivers had peaked, meteorologists forecast more rain and health officials worried about the threat posed by sewage-tainted floodwaters.

The worst of the day’s rain is due to fall in parts of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, which is well south of the flood zones.

London, Friday, AFP