Storm Eva is set to lash Britain with 70mph winds as northerners face their second battle against flood waters in just weeks.
Forecasters have issued severe weather warnings across Scotland and northern England, with a swath of the country expecting heavy rain on Christmas Day that could prove “persistent and heavy”.
In Cumbria alone eight households were flooded on Tuesday, with 15 flood warnings in place across the north-west. The River Eden burst its banks and flooded towns such as the parish of Appleby.
But the unseasonably high temperatures are set to continue through the festive period. This week saw the warmest winter solstice recorded since 1910.
Meanwhile, Londoners were battered by strong winds as they made their way to work on Wednesday.
A Met Office spokesman said: “After the mild, unsettled start to December it looks likely that this theme will continue through until the end of the year with some spells of windy, wet weather but also drier, brighter periods with some showers.
“Going into Christmas Eve, a low pressure system to the north west of the UK will bring a spell of wet and windy weather for most, with gales or severe gales in the north west of the UK and perhaps locally storm force winds over parts of the Outer Hebrides.”
The flooding in Cumbria came just 24 hours after the Prince of Wales visited the region to see damage caused by Storm Desmond.
Storm Eva is the fifth storm to be named by the public, who voted for 26 alphabetical names earlier this year. It follows Abigail, Barney and Clodagh.
A white Christmas is only likely in the Scottish mountains. But bookmakers have slashed the odds of it being the warmest December 25 on record.
Additional reporting by Press Association
