Hurricane Sandy’s effect seems to have rubbed off on Britain as thunderstorms, hail, and gale-force winds are expected to lash the UK this weekend as the Environment Agency warns that the UK may be hit by a new bout of flooding in coming months.

This year saw record amount of rains batter the UK from April to June, which were followed by more rains in July, September and October, leaving all rivers to their brim, the ground saturated and exceptionally high ground waters in some areas, reported the Environment Agency.

The risk of river flooding especially in the south-west and northern and western parts of England and Wales is higher in November and December. Flooding from water coming up through the soaking ground is likely to affect areas such as Devon, Dorset and Hampshire, because groundwater in aquifers moves much more slowly than surface water, and will take more time to flow away underground.

Sarah Jackson, the Met Office’s chief adviser to the government, said, “We are heading into the winter period which is traditionally the wetter period of the year in the UK. Because the ground is so wet, if we do have any prolonged heavy rainfall in any part of the country, there is going to be heightened risk of flooding. We recommend that everyone keeps up-to-date with the latest forecasts and warnings in periods of wet weather to be prepared.”

More than 1.1 million people have subscribed to receive flood warnings which can be sent by email, text, or a message to a landline or mobile phone, the Environment Agency said.

Related:
Heavy rains and floods to mar UK in next 48 hours
Met Office issues 44 flood alerts as worst September storms in 30 years hit UK