UK issues flood warning after Storm Ciaran caused chaos

A warning for heavy rain and showers is in force across southern England – with more than 200 flood alerts issued nationwide.

The Met Office yellow alert comes days after Storm Ciaran battered the same area with rain, flooding and winds of up to 100mph.

The ground is still saturated in many places, raising the likelihood of travel disruption.

A large swathe of the South – from Cornwall to Kent, and as far as south London – is covered by the warning from 5am on Saturday until midnight.

Up to 40mm (1.57in) of rain is possible.

Spray and flooding could make car journeys tricky – and bus and train services could be affected too, according to the Met Office.

It said large waves could also cause dangerous conditions on some coastal stretches.

The warning is in force from 5am on Saturday until midnight. Pic: Met Office

Chief forecaster Frank Saunders called it “fairly typical autumnal weather”, but said the warning was in place partly due to rain falling on already sodden ground.

However, there is better news for people heading out for Bonfire Night, with Mr Saunders predicting a “largely dry and settled” Sunday – albeit colder than last week.

A car struggles through a flooded road in Yapton, West Sussex, earlier this week

Storm Ciaran was still causing some knock-on problems for the railways on Friday.

LNER, which runs the line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, advised passengers not to travel until Saturday.

Delays and cancellations were expected because trains and staff were out of position due to power failures.

Other operators also warned of disruption as they cleared debris off tracks.

Storm Ciaran moved from the UK into the North Sea – and its southern edge caused chaos in parts of Italy.

Officials said six people died and two were missing after rivers in Tuscany burst their banks following torrential rain overnight into Friday.

There were fears Florence could be flooded, but the historic city avoided any major incidents.

Italian Civil Protection officials said 200mm (7.87in) of rain fell in a three-hour period, stretching from Livorno on the western coast to the inland valley of Mugello.

Tuscany’s president, Eugenio Giani, said it had never had so much rain in such a short space of time.

He told Sky TG24 that experts believe it was the worst downpour in 100 years.

“What happened overnight in Tuscany has a clear name: CLIMATE CHANGE,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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