Devon County Council is bracing itself for heavy rain from Storm Bram overnight and into tomorrow morning, with road users being urged to take extra care.
The Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning for heavy rain in the Dartmoor area from midnight until to 10am tomorrow. Around 75mm of rain is expected and it could be up to 100mm in some areas. The rest of the county is facing a Yellow Weather Warning for wind and rain from this evening until tomorrow afternoon.
With ground saturated from the weekend’s heavy rain, surface water could well be an issue on Devon’s roads. There is also a risk of flooding from local rivers, with the greatest risk from 4am-7am tomorrow morning.
Councillor Dan Thomas, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said:
“Although strong wind gusts of around 50mph are expected through until tomorrow, the biggest concern is more rainfall on top of what we’ve already had over the last couple of days. There’s likely to be a lot of surface water because of the sheer volume of rain that’s forecast. I can’t emphasise strongly enough but please take extra care. Allow extra time for your journey, drive according to the conditions, and please don’t attempt to drive through floodwater. You could put yourself and others at risk.”
Devon County Council’s highways teams have drafted in extra resources to respond to any issues on local roads, with gully pumps, jetters and tree surgeons on standby.
Devon County Council is reminding people of the following advice:
- Be alert to fallen trees and branches, particularly on minor roads where they may not have been reported;
- Allow additional time for your journey, never drive through floodwater or swollen flowing water, you don’t know how deep it is. Find an alternative route;
- Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front and leave plenty of room if you’re overtaking;
- Drive with care and according to the conditions.
- Be aware of weather warnings and keep up to date via @Devonalert;
- Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions
For more information and travel advice visit our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on X (Twitter) and Facebook.