Hampshire prepares for coastal flooding risk
As heavy rain and high winds are set to batter Southern England overnight tonight (Thursday 2 January) and into the weekend, staff at Hampshire County Council have said they're ready again to keep the county moving.
This prolonged bad weather comes as the clear up operation continues following the Christmas and New Year’s Day storms.
The number of highways emergency crews with tankers and jetters ready to deal with water on the roads and blocked gullies. Extra arboriculture teams with chainsaws are also on standby in the event of trees coming down.
With Amber warnings in place for coastal flooding, forecasters are predicting more rain tonight and up to 30mm to have fallen by the end of tomorrow, Friday 3rd January .Friday will also see strong to gale force winds with gusts of 45-55mph inland, but possibly up to 60-65mph along the coast.
The gale force winds, low pressure and high spring tides are likely to lead to some coastal flooding issues, with the threat at its highest between 1115 and 1215 tomorrow.
Residents are being advised only to travel if necessary but if they do have to travel on the roads, to take extra care as flooding is expected.
Flood alerts have been issued across all coastal areas of Hampshire and this is likely to trigger nine flood warnings.
Due to a combination of strong winds, large waves and high tides, coastal paths and promenades could also be highly dangerous as there is an increased risk of being swept out to sea. People are warned to stay away from the shoreline.
Further heavy rain is also expected on Sunday afternoon and evening, and strong to gale force winds will again accompany the rain on Sunday. The Met Office has issued a Yellow Rain Alert to cover Sunday’s rain.
The heavy rain and strong winds may once again lead to some flooding issues as well as disruption to power and transport as trees are damaged or come down.
Hampshire County Council will work with the emergency services and the Environment Agency to make sure collaborative resources are deployed in the best way to try to protect Hampshire communities.
Priority has had to be given to fixing problems on the main routes. While some minor roads are still affected, teams are aware of issues on these routes and will attend to them as soon as resources permit.
With such large numbers of incidents it may take some weeks to clear up and the Council is asking people to bear with them during this extremely busy period.
Highways teams have been working round the clock to help residents during the difficult weather conditions.
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