Wettest February on record comes to a close as Storm Jorge slams the UK

Storm Jorge took aim at the region at the end of last week, worsening the already dire flooding situation in the United Kingdom.

The powerful storm was named by the Spanish, becoming the 10th named windstorm by collective meteorological groups in France, Spain and Portugal.

The storm reportedly caused diverted flights and created massive waves across the British Isles Friday night and Saturday.

South Wales Police declared a critical incident on Twitter on Saturday, following heavy rain that caused various flooding incidents across the region.

According to the U.K. Met Office, latest rainfall data, which includes some of the rain from Storm Jorge, reveals that February 2020 is now the wettest February on record and fifth wettest of any month. The country recorded 209.1 mm (8.23 inches) of rain during the month, which is 237 percent of normal.

The unsettled pattern across the British Isles through much of February, including downpours from windstorms Ciara and Dennis, is also to blame for the recent flooding across the region.

Thousands of homes have been evacuated since Storm Dennis aggravated flooding across Wales and England during the middle of February.

Storm Dennis, which hit the U.K. in the middle of February, turned deadly, killing at least two people. The Army was deployed to help with the flood relief, as well as recovery following the blizzard conditions and damaging winds.

Storm Ciara, just a week prior, cut power to over 500,000 people as it blew through the U.K. Over 1,000 flights were cancelled across northern Europe. Several inches of rain was reported across much of the U.K. with the storm as well.

In the final week of February, record-breaking water levels along the River Severn had floodwaters pouring into towns and threatening to breach barriers in others.

As rainfall totals climbed through the month, flood barrier walls were set up along the River Severn that runs from central Wales through western England.

Officials announced an "immediate evacuation" in Ironbridge, in northern England, last week as the river continued to test the flood barriers, uncertain if the structures would continue to hold back floodwaters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

A continued unsettled pattern during the first week of March could exacerbate lingering flooding issues for the coming days. While no widespread heavy rain is anticipated, only a small amount of rain would be needed to cause flooding issues.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo