U.S. Ice Storm 'Holds Hands' With UK Flood

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Two storms span the North Atlantic Ocean on Friday, with one in Britain (right) and one just exiting the Northeast U.S. (left)

By Andrew Freedman2014-02-14 20:37:03 UTC

Yet another storm battered southern parts of the United Kingdom on Friday, with winds up to 80 mph and heavy rain. Based on satellite imagery, this storm is drawing in moisture from the same storm system that dumped heavy snow and ice across the eastern half of the U.S. this week. The storms appear to be swirling arm-in-arm across the Atlantic.

The new storm is aggravating the devastating flooding, which came on the heels of the wettest January in the UK since records began in 1766. The UK Met Office, which is the British equivalent of the U.S. National Weather Service, issued a report on Feb. 12 that linked the extreme weather this winter in part to manmade global warming, since a warming climate increases the odds of heavy precipitation events.

The Thames River burst its banks on Monday, flooding towns upstream of London. The Thames Barrier, which was built to shield downtown London from storm surge-related flooding, prevented widespread devastation in the densely populated city.

The UK Environment Agency, which has been harshly criticized by many in Great Britain for its bungled response to the flooding, warned that water levels are likely to rise again on the Thames, which recorded some of its highest levels for 60 years, and Severn rivers. According to the agency, teams are working to remove blockages from rivers and deploying sandbags and temporary defenses. Authorities also tapped Sweden and the Netherlands for additional flood defenses.

About 5,800 properties are now under water as a result of the series of storms that have plagued the area since early December.