Last night’s heavy rain from Storm Chandra has caused travel disruption throughout today and it’s now set to be followed by the risk of icy conditions in some parts of the county tomorrow morning.
During the peak of the storm conditions earlier today, torrential downpours led to localised flooding. A number of roads were affected and some routes are still impassable.
East, Mid and South Devon were among the worst affected. Some of the locations where there have been closures and issues throughout today included: –
- The Trafalgar Way, Axminster
- A376 Exmouth Road, Lympstone
- Beacon Lane, Exeter
- Mill Street, Ottery St Mary
- Sidmouth Road, between Ottery and The Bowd
- A358 Weycroft
- Totnes Road, Buckfastleigh
- Moretonhampstead Road, Lustleigh
- A379 Station Road, Dawlish
- B3181 between Cullompton and Exeter
- A377 Crediton
- Hemyock Road, Culmstock
- A396 Stoke Road, Stoke Canon
National Highways roads were also impacted with the A30 at Honiton and A303 Upottery flooded.
We’ve been responding to surface water issues on roads, with teams using gully pumps and jetters on drains as well as clearing landslips, while tree surgeons have been dealing with fallen trees.
Gritting teams are being called into action overnight, with road surface temperatures set to drop below zero, creating a risk of icy patches tomorrow morning. Gritters will be heading out on a number of the main salting routes around 3am.
Conditions could be challenging when people are travelling on their morning commute, particularly on untreated routes and on roads where there has been excess water.
Further outbreaks of rain are expected later this week, and there is another Yellow Weather Warning for rain on Thursday. Due to the already saturated ground, this may have an impact on local roads, which will also hamper recovery work across the network.
More than 50 schools have also been closed or partially closed today due to the weather conditions and flooding. You can find out which schools have been affected at devon.cc/closures
We’re reminding people of the following advice:
- Be alert to fallen trees and branches, particularly on minor roads where they may not have been reported;
- Never drive through floodwater or swollen flowing water, you don’t know how deep it is. Find an alternative route;
- Allow additional time for your journey. Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front;
- Drive with care and according to the conditions;
- Never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming;
- Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions.
To report flooding to property in Devon please do so via our online Flood Reporting Form.
More information and advice is available on our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on X (Twitter) and Facebook.
For information on Flood Warnings and Flood Alerts visit https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/location/devon