Third ‘Once-In-A-Hundred-Year’ event in just five years

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It’s been a very wet start to 2025 in Wigan.

Overnight on NYE, more than 90mm of rain fell across North West England. More than 100 flood warnings in England were issued by the Environment Agency, mostly across the North West, and some areas of our boroughs were and still are affected by the flooding.

This rainfall saw over 1,000 people evacuated across Greater Manchester, and the Bridgewater Canal in Cheshire burst its banks, showing the serious damage that can be done.

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The weather has been described as the third “once-in-a-hundred-year weather event" in just five years. These types of events are becoming more and more common, due to climate change.

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Climate change increases the risk of flooding, as it causes more intense and frequent rainfall. Flooding is becoming more and more common as the climate warms, as warmer air holds more moisture.

In its first assessment of how a warming world could affect flooding, the Environment Agency recently reported that one in four homes could be at risk of flooding by 2050.

As we have seen locally, and across the region, flooding can have devastating consequences for houses and infrastructure, forcing people to evacuate their homes, and disrupting transport and power supplies.

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There is support and advice on how to protect your home if you are at risk of a flood at wigan.gov.uk/flooding, along with advice and support for after a flood has happened and we’d encourage everyone to sign up for Environment Agency flood alerts for where they live.

Looking beyond this awful start to the year for many, we cannot ignore the fact that climate change is affecting our weather, making incidents like the flooding we saw earlier this month more likely.

That is why it’s so important that we all take steps to reduce our carbon footprint. Lots of people making small sustainable changes in their day-to-day lives can have a huge impact, helping to slow down climate change and the devastating impacts it can have on all of us.

Of course, it has not just been wet but also cold. Cold, snow and rain are not necessarily unusual in January and, perhaps surprisingly, climate change can make these bitter cold snaps more severe.

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Melting sea ice and the warming of the Arctic weaken the polar vortex, which the area of low pressure that keeps cold air centred over the Arctic. This weakening can cause the freezing polar air to dip further south, pushing a blast of cold air over Europe and North America.

You may remember the Beast from the East, an infamous snowstorm that hit Britain in 2018. At the same time, the Arctic was experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures 10 to 20°C above normal.

For advice on how to keep warm, please visit Wigan Council’s website. You can also find advice on how to winter proof your home, reduce your energy costs, and see if you’re eligible for AWARM, a fuel poverty service providing advice and support to help you stay healthy, safe and warm at home.

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