DIVING HOME FOR XMAS
UK weather forecast – Christmas floods rage on as two weeks of rain to fall in the next 24 hours
MILLIONS of Brits have been battling a second day of Christmas getaway travel chaos - and worse is to come.
Floods sparked travel chaos across England with closed roads and blocked railway lines after rivers burst their banks amid the bad weather.
19
19
19
19
A tornado ripped through Surrey on Saturday afternoon, wreaking havoc on the streets and damaging homes.
Shocking snaps revealed the damage to homes in Shepperton with trees and objects strewn across streets.
Meanwhile stranded drivers and residents were pictured wading through waist-deep water in Kent, Surrey, Essex and Cambridgeshire.
In a fresh weather blow for Brits, the Met Office has warned two weeks of rain is set to be dumped in the next 24 hours.
19
19
19
19
19
The AA advised 31million drivers face bumper-to-bumper traffic as they hit the road today and tomorrow.
Tonight, there there remians 89 flood warnings and 232 flood alerts in place in England alone.
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain, with up to 30mm of rain is forecast in parts until noon tomorrow.
Southern England is expected to see the worst of the wet conditions today. Heavy downpours are also set to blast Wales, with 4-5mm forecast to fall in just one hour.
Met Office meteorolgoist Alex Deakin warned of an "angry weather system" that would also bring some "very strong winds".
19
Best and worst times to travel in the lead up to Christmas
Friday - December 20
- Best: After 8pm
- Worst: Between 12pm and 7pm
Saturday - December 21
- Best: After 4pm
- Worst: Between 10am and 3pm
Sunday - December 22
- Best: After 5pm
- Worst: Between 10am and 4pm
Monday - December 23
- Best: After 4pm
- Worst: Between 10am and 3pm
Tuesday - December 24
- Best: Before 10am
- Worst: Between 2pm and 6pm
He said the extra rain falling onto saturated ground could cause further flooding problems.
In the Kent village of Yalding, residents and vehicles were left stranded in 3ft high flood water after the River Medway burst its banks.
In Leatherhead, Surrey, flood defences sprang up amid fears that the river Mole would submerge parts of the high street and surrounding houses.
On Friday, adverse weather led to the nine-hour queues on the M23 motorway as flooding caused it to be closed in both directions.
19
19
19
Sussex Police described driving conditions in the region as "miserable", and said there was "a lot of standing water on the roads".
Devon and Cornwall Police said flooding across the force area made "a number of roads impassable" and urged motorists to take extra care and avoid driving into standing water.
Highways England has urged motorists to adapt their driving for wet weather by slowing down, keeping well back from the vehicle in front and easing off the accelerator if steering becomes unresponsive.
Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services were affected after rail lines were flooded.
Rail passengers also suffered miserable journeys as landslides blocked Southern train lines in Surrey, Kent, Essex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Devon.
A month-long strike by guards on South Western Railway has resulted in hundreds of services being cancelled each day in cities including London Waterloo, Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth.
MOST READ NEWS
John Halsall, managing director of Network Rail's southern region, said the combination of one of the wettest autumns since records began with a month's worth of rainfall in the past five days has put the rail network "under enormous pressure".
An RAC survey suggested 4.7 million leisure trips by car would be taken yesterday, as many people embarked on the Christmas getaway.
Drivers were advised to set off after 4pm today to avoid the worst of the traffic.
19
19
19
19
19
19
Incredible aerial footage reveals Christmas getaway hell for 18million Brits as floods shut motorways and block railways
Topics