North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service reported on 27 December 2023 that the Met Office had issued a Yellow Weather Warning for Rain across the county. The service named the areas most likely to be affected and said rivers in most of them were expected to peak the following day.
The areas most likely to be affected include Malton, York, Boroughbridge, Tadcaster, Hunsingore and Selby1. The service said most of these areas are likely to see their rivers peaking tomorrow (Thursday)1.
"The Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for Rain across the county."
The service said it was sharing information about flooding and what to do if affected by floodwater, adding that it was not aiming to scare or cause worry but that it is always worth preparing for these potential events1. Its advice included checking how high the risk from flooding is to a property, noting that this could potentially change even if someone has lived in the home for several years, and it pointed to the Government's flood map for planning1. It also directed readers to the North Yorkshire Council website for information local to York and North Yorkshire, and to the Flood Hub for toolkits and checklists1.
The service's list of points to consider covers creating a household flood plan, using a template on the Flood Hub website; signing up to receive flood alerts and warnings; investigating property flood resilience options; checking that insurance covers flood damage; putting important documents in a safe place away from flood risk but somewhere accessible in an emergency; preparing an emergency bag and flood kit; and ensuring pets are microchipped, with thought given to where they could be sent if evacuation is needed1. It said weather information and flood alerts can be found on the Met Office website1.
Why it matters for households
Households in Malton, York, Boroughbridge, Tadcaster, Hunsingore and Selby are the ones the service identifies as most likely to be affected, with river peaks expected on Thursday1. The warning is yellow, the lowest of the Met Office's three warning levels; our guide to Met Office weather warnings explains what yellow, amber and red mean. The service's advice to households centres on knowing the flood risk to a property, receiving flood alerts and warnings, and having a household flood plan, insurance cover, documents stored safely and an emergency bag and flood kit ready1. Our flooding hub and the guide to flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings set out how the warning levels work, and the storms and snow hub covers weather warnings more broadly. The service also points households to the Met Office website for weather information and flood alerts1; our guide explains how to sign up for Met Office weather alerts, and the staying informed hub covers other ways to keep track of official messages.
What happens next
The service said most of the named areas are likely to see their rivers peaking on Thursday1. No further update, and no forecast of how high river levels might reach, has been reported.
Met Office Weather Warnings
