England and Wales brace for downpours with more than 200 active flood alerts

More than 200 flood alerts were active across the UK on Sunday as parts of England and Wales braced for more downpours after the Met Office issued a fresh yellow warning for rain.The warning spans noon to midnight on Monday, covering parts of southern Wales as well as south-east and south-west England. The Met Office said that “10-15mm of rain is likely fairly widely with 20-30mm in some places exposed to the strong south to south-easterly winds”.Monday’s weather warning covers parts of England where communities are still recovering from extensive flooding caused by heavy downpours in the wake of Storm Chandra.The Environment Agency issued 96 flood warnings across England on Sunday evening, indicating flooding was expected. A further 219 flood alerts were issued in areas where flooding was possible. Four more flood alerts were issued by Wales" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="26765" data-entity-type="organization">Natural Resources Wales.Homes, businesses and roads could be flooded in areas covered by Monday’s warning for rain, the Met Office said, adding that travel disruption was expected.Temperatures were expected to reach double figures across parts of the Midlands, eastern England and the south east so it “might feel relatively pleasant for February”, Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said.He added: “Out towards the west here we have another area of rain pushing in through the afternoon, with the wind strengthening, particularly in the south west. The winds are coming in from a south-easterly direction, so it is coming on to coasts that have been particularly affected by recent storms. There will be some heavy rain and the rain is falling on saturated ground so further flooding is possible, particularly as we move into the evening.”Morgan said there could “potentially be some surface water on the roads for Monday evening’s rush hour and some difficult driving conditions” for parts of Wales, central southern England and towards the south east.The Environment Agency estimated on Saturday that “at least 300 properties have been recorded as flooded”, while about 16,200 were protected by flood defences.Sarah Cook, the flood duty manager at the agency, said: “Significant ongoing groundwater flooding impacts remain probable in parts of Dorset and Wiltshire, with minor impacts probable for parts of Hampshire for the next five days, and West Sussex from Saturday.”The agency said its teams had been “mobilised across the country to check on other flood defences, clear any river blockages and closely monitor river levels”.