Warnings about extreme weather have been issued to householders across England and Wales.
In light of the severe conditions which struck coastal villages and towns last month, the Met Office has warned of an increased risk during the winter months, likened to the extreme conditions experienced in 2014. There is a one in three chance that record monthly rainfall could occur in at least one UK region, according to their research.
Driving the Met Office research is Professor Adam Scaife. His research method involves using a climate model to infer future events based on those in the past. Commenting on the technology behind this as well as the extremity of the events forecast, he stated: “The new Met Office supercomputer was used to stimulate thousands of possible winters, some of them much more extreme than we’ve yet witnessed. This gave many more extreme events than have happened in the real world, helping us to work out how severe things could get.”
According to the Met Office results, the south-east has a 7% risk of monthly rainfall reaching record levels, a figure which increases by over a third when including other English regions.
The growing risk of extreme weather has prompted experts to encourage awareness of flood searches. Known as a Residential Flood Search, this is conducted during the conveyancing process and enables potential buyers to reduce their risk of buying in an area prone to flooding.
Also essential is standard buildings insurance, which the Council of Mortgage Lenders stress is vital for any property purchased by using a mortgage. This includes flood cover and means that in the case where a flood risk does occur, insurance will be granted.
