Prepare for Storm Ciarán flood impacts

People across Wales are being urged to prepare for flooding as Storm Ciarán is set to bring persistent and heavy rain across Wales this evening (1 Nov) and throughout Thursday (2 Nov).

In addition to the heavy rain, strong winds are also expected.  

A yellow Met Office rain warning has been updated to cover the whole of Wales, and will come into force from 6pm tonight until just before midnight on Thursday.  

Surface water flooding is expected and rivers, which are already swollen, are likely to rise quickly as rain falls on saturated ground. The expected rainfall could lead to significant inland flooding across parts of Wales from Wednesday evening into Friday.  

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

NRW’s incident response teams are working around the clock 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 www.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 bring significant flood impacts across parts of Wales and we are urging people to be aware and be prepared. 

“We’re currently in a period of very unsettled weather - the ground is already very wet, and rivers are already very swollen which means they are likely to respond rapidly” 

“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