A flood alert has been issued for the mid River Aire catchment area as Storm Christoph heads to the UK, bringing heavy rain with it.
The alert, issued by the Environment Agency, includes parts of West Leeds next to the River Aire, including Burley and Kirkstall. It runs from this evening until Thursday morning. The alert says:
“Consequently, flooding of property, roads and farmland is possible from Tuesday morning onwards. Areas most at risk are low-lying land, roads and farmland. As a result we expect to see high river levels from Tuesday morning around 6am.
“We will be monitoring closely to assess locations where we may need to issue flood warnings. Our field teams are out today, checking defences and clearing screens ahead of the rainfall.
“We are liaising closely with our partners to ensure they are ready to respond. Please put your flood plan into action and activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers. Avoid using low lying footpaths near watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid roads which may be flooded.”
Up to seven centimetres of rain is expected to fall within the space of 48 hours tomorrow and on Wednesday as well as high winds gusting at speeds of up to 25mph.
More details about the alert can be found on the Environment Agency website.
The alert also stretches to the Wyke, Meanwood and Wortley Beck catchment area. More details on the alert here.
What’s a flood alert?
There are three different levels of flood warning when bad weather strikes, including a flood alert, a flood warning, and a severe flood warning.
The three levels each indicate varying severity, with a flood alert being the lowest.
If a flood alert is issued, this indicates that an area should prepare, including making defences, preparing a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents, and staying up to date with the latest flood alerts.
Met office issues ‘amber alert’ for rain
An amber alert for rain has also been issued by the Met Office from 6am Tuesday, January, 19 and remains in place until 12am on Thursday, January 21.
Forecasters at the Met Office said:
“A broad area of rainfall will arrive across this region later on Monday and remain across the area for the following 36 to 48 hours.
“Over the course of this time, 40 to 70 millimetres of rainfall is expected to fall widely across the warning area, with the potential for 100 to 120mm.
The rain will lead to rapid melting of any remaining lying snow across the higher peaks which may add a further five to 10mm.
“Strong winds will also accompany the rainfall and may add to travelling difficulties across areas higher and more exposed routes.”
