“UK Faces Crisis: Unprecedented Floods and Snow Force Major Incident Declarations”

Major incidents have been declared and many individuals rescued in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire as intense rainfall triggered significant flooding across the Midlands on Monday.

Firefighters in Leicestershire received numerous calls on Monday, rescuing 59 individuals, while in Lincolnshire 50 children were brought to safety after their school became isolated by floodwaters.

Simultaneously, police in North Yorkshire discovered the body of a man in floodwaters in Beal, located near Eggborough and Knottingley.

Nearly 200 flood warnings have been issued in various regions of England, with yellow weather alerts for snow and ice enacted in Northern Ireland, sections of Scotland and Wales, along with areas of northwest and southwest England until Tuesday morning.

Travel disturbances due to the chilly and wet weather have influenced much of the UK on Monday, impacting roads, railways, and airports alike.

In Leicestershire, crews aided in the evacuation of residents from inundated homes and assisted drivers trapped in their vehicles.

Leicestershire County Council informed the BBC that they had responded to 160 flood-related incidents within the county thus far.

In Lincolnshire, volunteer drivers used 4×4 vehicles to transport school children to safety after roads leading to Edenham Primary School, near Bourne, were flooded from substantial rainfall.

Additionally, 16 individuals were rescued from properties in Billingborough, near Bourne, and temporarily housed in a village hall on Monday night.

Simultaneously, police in North Yorkshire stated that the man whose body was found in a flooded region in Beal is believed to have entered the water on Saturday or Sunday.

Authorities reported that the man has been officially identified, but efforts to locate his next of kin are ongoing. They added that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery.

By Monday evening, there were 183 flood warnings in effect, indicating expected flooding, along with 301 flood alerts, indicating possible flooding, spanning across England.

In Wales, one flood warning and 12 flood alerts are active.

A Met Office alert for snow and ice across extensive areas of Scotland was issued at 16:00, remaining in effect until midday on Tuesday.

A yellow alert for snow and ice will remain in effect in Northern Ireland until 11:00 on Tuesday.

A yellow alert for snow and ice across Wales and portions of northwest and southwest England began at 17:00 on Monday, lasting until 10:00 on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed his sympathies for all those impacted by the flooding and extended thanks to “responders diligently working to maintain community safety”.

In the Commons, environment minister Emma Hardy informed MPs that flooding was “a personal priority” for her, noting that the Environment Agency was particularly focused on Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and Nottinghamshire.

Cautioning about additional localized flooding expected in the coming 24 to 36 hours, she promised to reform the government’s approach to funding flood defenses “to guarantee that the challenges confronting businesses and rural and coastal communities are acknowledged when implementing flood protection measures.”

The lowest temperature of the UK winter this year was noted on Sunday evening, with the thermometer dropping to -13.3C (8F) at Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland.

On Monday morning, snowy weather compelled schools throughout north-east Scotland and northern England to shut down on the first day back after the Christmas break.

According to network operator Northern Powergrid, power restoration was necessary for thousands of residences and businesses in north-east England due to outages caused by the cold spell.

Travel routes across the UK were influenced by the climatic conditions. Significant flooding in Gloucester caused the M5 to shut down on Monday morning. The M25 in Surrey was also closed after a truck overturned and obstructed the roadway.

Flooding affected railway tracks across the UK, while Manchester Airport was again compelled to close two runways due to heavy snowfall.

This evening, the weather is expected to be calmer, as the low-pressure area that brought snow and rain this morning has moved eastward.

A widespread frost will occur with temperatures falling significantly below freezing and the likelihood of ice nearly everywhere.

More wintry showers will be arriving from the north-west during the evening and overnight hours.

In northern and western Scotland, expect wintry showers with accumulations of 5-10cm at elevations over 200m.

Tomorrow, there will be additional sporadic wintry showers in similar areas, but for most, it will be quite cold and dry with some sunshine.

A distinct warning is issued for potential snow across southern counties of England on Wednesday, effective from 09:00 until midnight, which may yield up to 2-5cm of snow.

Global temperatures have risen by over 1C since the pre-industrial period. Consequently, UK winters are evolving.

Despite the ongoing warming trend, we will continue to experience short-term extremes of both hot and frigid weather – however, occurrences of cold extremes are anticipated to diminish and occur less frequently.

Climate change is expected to result in increased rainfall. A warmer atmosphere can retain more moisture, leading to more intense rainfalls which are likely to become a more prominent characteristic of UK winters, along with a heightened risk of flooding.