Greater Manchester prepares for flooding following heavy rain
Flooding is expected overnight in the Greater Manchester area, residents have been warned.
Just before 1am, the Environment Agency advised the region had 17 flood warnings in place, meaning immediate action was required.
Good evening we have added warnings and alerts in the #NorthWest Due to persistent heavy rainfall, river levels are responding We are closely monitoring the situation. Please be aware of your surroundings https://t.co/uGQ4g6A5Xnpic.twitter.com/qhQD123pfZ
— Env Agency NW (@EnvAgencyNW) July 28, 2019
The agency said rainfall was expected to continue throughout the night and flooding of the River Mersey at Fletcher Moss and Withington golf course was possible.
“Please be aware of your surroundings and keep up to date with the current situation,” it said, adding that people should avoid swollen rivers and not drive through flood water.
Twitter users posted images and video online showing flooding in Rochford and Lees.
Forecasters said parts of the North West had seen 40mm to 50mm of rain in about 24 hours, with 52.2mm recorded between 11am on Saturday and 11am on Sunday at Greenfield near Oldham.
The Met Office said that the monthly average rainfall for the North West in July was 89.5mm.
Good evening, here is tonight's weather summary. Don't forget, you can visit our website (https://t.co/cQSfu1VDbo) for all local & national weather forecasts including the 6-30 day UK outlook. Please tweet or drop us an email with any other queries. ^Dan pic.twitter.com/sczp0dxUy9
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 28, 2019
The region was expected to receive a reprieve on Monday, with the Met Office predicting sunny intervals from midday.
But the relief is likely to be brief as further sustained rain hits Manchester for the remainder of the week due to a band of low pressure.
