Warnings as Storm Ciarán brings flood risk for Wales

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is urging people to be alert for flooding as Storm Ciarán is expected to bring persistent and, in places, heavy rain across Wales from Wednesday evening (1 Nov) and throughout Thursday (2 Nov) this week.

The highest rainfall totals from Ciarán are expected in South Wales but large parts of Wales are expected to experience heavy rain which could lead to surface water issues, and cause already swollen rivers to rise quickly as rainfall hits saturated ground.

Strong winds are expected along the South and West Wales coastlines where large waves could also lead to some coastal flooding impacts.

Ahead of Storm Ciarán’s arrival, heavy rain is also expected to fall across Wales this evening and overnight.

NRW’s incident response teams are working with other emergency responders and local authorities to keep people and property safe. Teams are out checking flood defences are in good working order, clearing gulleys and ditches and operating temporary defences where needed to help reduce flood risk to communities.  

People are being urged to consider any steps they may need to take now to be prepared, and to take extra care if you need to travel:

• Register for NRW’s free flood warning service at naturalresources.wales/flooding or by calling Floodline on  0345 988 1188.
• Check the flood warning pages on NRW’s website for local Flood Alerts and Flood Warnings. These pages are updated every 15mins.
• Think about how you can prepare your home and business now. Move valuables and vehicles to a higher location and think about packing a flood kit. NRW’s website has a range of information on how people can prepare for flooding.

NRW will issue Flood Alerts and Warnings if rivers reach trigger levels with our teams monitoring levels 24 hours a day.  

Flood alerts mean that flooding is possible, flood warnings mean that flooding is expected, and severe flood warnings mean that there is a threat to life and significant disruption is expected.

Katie Davies, NRW’s Duty Tactical Manager, said:

“The current forecasted rain from Storm Ciarán could cause rivers to respond rapidly, especially across South Wales, and we are urging people to be aware and be prepared.

“Making sure you know what the situation is like where you live is really important. You can check your flood risk and the latest flood alerts and warnings on our website which is refreshed every 15 minutes. Keep an eye on @NatResWales on (X)Twitter for the latest information and listen to weather reports and local news for details of any disruption in your area.

“Our teams are doing all they can to reduce the risk for communities, but if there is flooding we want to make sure people are doing all they can to keep themselves safe too. We urge people to keep away from swollen rivers, and not to drive or to walk through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and contain hidden hazards.”

Flood alerts and flood warnings are updated on the Natural Resources Wales website every 15 minutes and are available to view at www.naturalresources.wales/flooding

Information and updates are also available via Natural Resources Wales’s X (formerly Twitter) account: @NatResWales