New flood alert system tested

Updated 18.58 Fri Sep 19 2008
Keywords: Environment Agency, ITV News, office, Met, flood, alert, flooding

The Met Office has given ITV News an exclusive look at a new alert system developed to predict when and where a flash flood will hit.

Following a joint operation with the Environment Agency, it will be much easier now to pinpoint how much rain will fall and where there will be flooding.

"It picked out quite accurately the areas which were vulnerable to the heavy rains which fell and led into the Morpheth floods" - Paul Davies

The alert system will send out warnings to emergency services and the public through 400 centres across Britain.

More than 400 people were evacuated in Morpheth in Northumberland two weeks ago in the worst flooding since the 1960s when 80mm of rain fell in just a few hours.

But the emergency services had a head start because they received a warning from the system being tested at the Met Office's headquarters in Exeter.

The alert warned of a 20 per cent chance of heavy rainfall around Morpeth and a 10 per cent chance in a slightly wider area.

Chief forecaster Paul Davies explains how it worked: "It picked out quite accurately the areas which were vulnerable to the heavy rains which fell and led into the Morphett floods. And it showed amounts to about 80mm which wasn't far from the truth".

Climate change means that localised flash floods in the summer are becoming more common - so the new system will provide an essential warning service.

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