South Wales Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident in Monmouth at 01:30 GMT on Saturday 15 November following severe and widespread flooding linked to Storm Claudia. Crews have been undertaking rescues, evacuations and welfare checks, with Area Manager Matt Jones urging the public to avoid the town to keep access routes clear for emergency responders.
Natural Resources Wales issued four severe flood warnings for the Monmouth area-covering the River Monnow at Skenfrith, the River Monnow at Forge Road (Osbaston), the River Monnow at Watery Lane (Over Monnow) and the River Wye at Monmouth (defended areas)-signalling danger to life and major disruption. The warnings list shows updates through the night into the morning of 15 November.
England is also experiencing ongoing impacts. As of 11:55 GMT on Saturday, the Environment Agency reported 58 Flood Warnings and 150 Flood Alerts; at least 20 properties had flooded, including some in Cumbria, while more than 12,000 were protected by defences and operations. Floods Minister Emma Hardy said conditions are more settled but the risk of ongoing river flooding remains.
The Met Office said Storm Claudia brought persistent, heavy rain through Friday and into early Saturday, with some places seeing up to a month’s typical rainfall in 24 hours. Recorded totals included 119.6 mm at the Tafalog rain gauge in Gwent between 18:00 on Thursday and 06:00 on Saturday. The system was named by Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET.
Attention now turns to cold weather risk. The UK Health Security Agency has issued a Cold-Health Alert from 08:00 on Monday 17 November to 08:00 on Friday 21 November for the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, highlighting potential pressure on health and care services. This operates under the joint Weather‑Health Alerting system with the Met Office.
Transport and public safety guidance remains precautionary. National outlets and operators reported delays and cancellations across affected routes, and the AA advised motorists to avoid hazardous driving conditions and never attempt to drive through floodwater. Travellers are being told to check before they travel as disruption clears.
For decision‑makers and residents, flood warning services operate on a three‑tier basis. In England, an Environment Agency flood alert means flooding is possible; a flood warning means flooding is expected and immediate action is required; and a severe flood warning signals danger to life. Warnings are refreshed frequently-around every 15 minutes-and Natural Resources Wales uses the same categories.
Local government duties now follow. Under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, lead local flood authorities must investigate significant flooding to the extent they consider necessary, publish the findings and notify relevant risk management bodies. Monmouthshire County Council sets out how it conducts and publishes such investigations after major events.
On funding and recovery, the Welsh Government’s 2025–26 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management programme allocates £77 million, including £22 million for Natural Resources Wales, £14 million for local authorities and additional support for natural flood management projects. Separately, ministers can activate the Emergency Financial Assistance Scheme to reimburse a proportion of eligible response costs for local authorities after exceptional events; activation is discretionary and subject to thresholds. In England, where separate impacts are being recorded, the Flood Recovery Framework-when activated-provides council tax and business rates relief and targeted grants to eligible households and SMEs.
Water resources remain a parallel concern. The Environment Agency’s Drought Prospects Report (14 November) warns that England faces widespread drought in 2026 without sustained winter rainfall; eight of the first ten months of 2025 saw below‑average rainfall. The agency also notes that flooding can occur during drought as dry soils shed intense rainfall-reinforcing the need to plan for both hazards simultaneously.