The third major storm to hit the UK this month brought flooding rains and disrupted travel across large portions of the region this week. Nearly 200 flood alerts were in effect as of early Wednesday.

"I live on a hill overlooking part of the Otter and it's normally quite a nice little river," Ottery St. Mary resident Jackie Blackford, told BBC Radio Devon, per the Guardian. "At the moment, it's a raging torrent. It is horrendous — I've never seen anything like it."

The River Otter near Ottery St. Mary reached its highest level on record this week, exceeding the previous record set almost 26 years ago. In addition to heavy rain, the storm also produced strong winds and snow. 

The storm's impacts were far-reaching. People were rescued by firefighters after floodwaters submerged more than 25 vehicles across Devon and Somerset in southern England. More than 240 schools in Northern Ireland were forced to close due to the extreme weather.

A severe flood warning remained in effect on Wednesday in southern England along the southern part of the River Stour. 

"River levels are rising and require residents to evacuate as quickly as possible," according to the warning statement. "Pack a bag with essential items such as medications you may need. Prepare to be away from your home overnight.  Move family, pets and cars to safety and turn off gas, electricity and water if it is safe to do so."

In addition to southern and central England, Northern Ireland and Wales experienced the storm's heavy rains and strong winds. Flooding in Northern England and Scotland wasn't as severe, but those regions were under winter weather warnings, with snow and icy conditions expected at higher elevations. Yellow warnings were issued on Wednesday for ice across large parts of the UK.

A yellow warning has been posted for another round of heavy rain expected to hit Northern Ireland late Thursday into Friday. The UK's Met Office says "spells of heavy rain" could add up to an additional two inches or more. Further south, potentially heavy rain has prompted a yellow warning for southern England. 

"Spray and flooding on roads will make journey times longer," the warning cautions. "Bus and train services affected with journey times taking longer," and "flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely" are some of the impacts expected.

The unsettled weather pattern that brought this week's storm could linger through the weekend in the UK. 

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"Local flooding from groundwater is possible from today onwards for parts of the South of England," notes a UK government flood forecast. "Land, roads and some properties may flood and there may be travel disruption. Local flooding is also probable in parts of the South-West of England on Saturday and Sunday. Land, roads and some properties could flood and there could be travel disruption."

Our warming world is raising the risk of stronger winter storms affecting the UK. 

"In future, most climate projections indicate that winter windstorms will increase slightly in number and intensity over the UK i.e. more winter storms, including disproportionately more severe storms, are projected to cross the UK," according to the Met Office, the region's national weather service agency. "Coastal flooding from storms is expected to increase under climate change due to rising sea levels, worsening the impacts of storm surges."

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