LONDON, United Kingdom –
Parts of the UK were flooded on Wednesday as heavy rain and strong winds continued to disrupt New Year’s celebrations.
Several communities in the Manchester area were flooded, several homes were evacuated and cars were submerged up to their roofs on roads and parking lots after nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in two days.
A major incident was declared and mountain rescue teams were called to help firefighters respond to flooded properties and stranded vehicles, Greater Manchester Police said.
“There is still likely to be further flooding throughout the day,” Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said. “We potentially expect the flooding situation to get worse before it gets better.”
Tom Coulthard said the rain began on Tuesday afternoon and continued throughout the night where he lives in Didsbury, south of Manchester, overflowing the river banks and forcing a hotel to be evacuated before dawn. Roads and highways were closed in the area.
A ferry heads out to sea as weather warnings are in place for parts of the United Kingdom, in Dover, England, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
“All the local rivers and watercourses have filled and flooded around the area,” said Coulthard, a geography professor at the University of Hull. “That’s probably a sign of how our climate is changing, how the climate is changing.” “.
The deluge and gusts derailed New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations, leading to cancellations in Edinburgh and several other cities. Events planned for New Year’s Day, including refreshing outdoor swims and a bathtub boat race, were scrapped.
London, which was able to launch its massive fireworks display into the River Thames in front of Big Ben, had to postpone the start of its New Year’s parade and grounded inflatable floats due to stormy and soggy conditions.
Cheerleaders and gang members who marched through central London covered their bright costumes with transparent covers to protect them from the rain.
At one point warnings indicating that flooding was expected were issued to more than 150 communities across the UK, the majority of which were in the north of England. Later that day, dozens of those warnings were lifted.
Several trains were canceled due to high water around the tracks and some roads were closed.
With temperatures falling, ice warnings were in place until late Thursday morning for Northern Ireland, parts of north Wales, England and Scotland. And a three-day snow warning has been issued for next weekend across much of England and Scotland.
