Storm Herminia has unleashed chaos across the UK, bringing severe flooding and disrupting travel, particularly in the southern regions, days after Storm Eowyn battered parts of the country and the Republic of Ireland. The heavy rain and strong winds brought by the storm has led to significant damage, especially in Somerset where homes and roads were submerged leading to authorities declaring a major incident, according to a report in BBC.

“Following intense rainfall across the region at the weekend, several parts of Somerset were flooded, including roads and some homes in the center of Chard and Ilminster,” a council spokesperson informed the media.

“With further heavy rainfall expected, a major incident was called and a decision was made to carry out precautionary evacuations for residents living in properties in the worst-affected areas.”

Yellow warning of spells of rain which could lead to flooding was also been issued until 9 pm on Tuesday (Jan 28). In total, the Environment Agency has issued 37 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, in place in the south of England and the Midlands. A further 171 alerts, where flooding is possible, are in place across England.

“Impacts are probable across parts of the south of England during Monday and on Tuesday, with continuing impacts possible on Wednesday and Thursday,” said Ben Lukey, a flood duty manager at the Environment Agency.

Travel has been severely impacted, with Heathrow Airport experiencing significant delays and cancellations. According to the London Evening Standard, flights at Heathrow have been hit hard by Storm Herminia, causing travel chaos not just in the UK but across Europe.

A landslip between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport in Sussex has led to some northbound train lines being blocked as well.

Why so many storms in the UK?

Between October and December, the UK was battered by Storms Ashley, Bert, Connall, and Darragh which means the country has witnessed four straight months without a break from weather. As per the Met Office experts, the prevalence of storms can be explained by one of the key drivers of UK weather: the jet stream.

A jet stream is a column of air high up in the atmosphere that causes changes in wind and pressure at that level. The effects of this are then felt nearer the surface, as has been evident in the UK which falls into the path of low-pressure systems, where unsettled weather conditions are more likely to occur.