Storm Christoph: Flooding expected in Wakefield, Pontefract and Castleford as Met Office issues amber rain warning for district

An amber weather warning has been issued for the Wakefield district this week, with heavy rainfall expected to lead to flooding as Storm Christoph makes landfall.
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The Met Office said that a combination of heavy rainfall and melting snow is expected to lead to high water levels across the district in the coming days.

As a result, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and difficult driving conditions are expected.

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The amber weather warning will be in place from 6am tomorrow (Tuesday, January 19) until midday on Thursday, January 21, and covers the whole Wakefield district, as well as large areas of Leeds and West Yorkshire.

An amber weather warning has been issued for the Wakefield district this week, with heavy rainfall expected to lead to flooding as Storm Christoph makes landfall. A flood alert has also been issued for the south east of the district.An amber weather warning has been issued for the Wakefield district this week, with heavy rainfall expected to lead to flooding as Storm Christoph makes landfall. A flood alert has also been issued for the south east of the district.
An amber weather warning has been issued for the Wakefield district this week, with heavy rainfall expected to lead to flooding as Storm Christoph makes landfall. A flood alert has also been issued for the south east of the district.

A flood alert has also been issued for the south of the district.

What is the forecast?

The Met Office is predicting several days of "persistent and heavy" rainfall in Wakefield, beginning at around 3am tomorrow and continuing until the early hours of Thursday.

Temperatures will remain between 8°C and 10°C, but people are being warned to prepare for flooding and power cuts.

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The Environment Agency has also issued a flood alert for the River Went catchment area, which includes areas around Hemsworth, Ackworth and Featherstone.

A flood alert means that flooding is possible, and people in affected areas are encouraged to prepare a bag with any important medicines and insurance documents in case of emergency.

In a warning on the flood warning website, the agency said: "River levels are now falling across the Went Catchment, but remain high as a result of recent rainfall and ongoing snow melt.

"This flood alert remains in place as we are expecting a return to high levels tomorrow, Tuesday 19th January.

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"A prolonged period of heavy rain is expected from Monday night 18/01/21 with high rain totals through to Thursday."

Northern Powergrid has also begun preparing for the storm, and has pumps and flood barriers ready to be deployed.

Anyone who experiences a power cut or spots damaged power lines during the storm is urged to contact Northern Powergrid on 105.

Last year, residents of Horbury Bridge faced months of recovery after severe flooding hit the town.

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Katharine Smith, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Much of the ground in parts of northern, central and eastern England is already saturated and the rainfall together with snowmelt is expected to bring significant river and surface water flooding and could cause damage to buildings in some communities.

"Flooding could continue to affect parts of central, eastern and northern England into Friday, with localised flooding of land and roads a possibility elsewhere across much of country on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground clearing grills, screens and closing flood barriers. We urge people to keep away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.   

“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at via Gov.uk or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”