Floods and Snow Cause Chaos in UK

Heavy rain and gale-force winds hit parts of southern Britain, and heavy snow 
hit regions further north in England and Wales leading to road, flight and 
school cancellations, and power outages.

Heavy rain and gale-force winds in southern Britain caused flight disruptions,
 as well as road closures and train cancellations.

Some areas recorded close to their monthly average rainfall for February in 
just 24 hours.

The Environment Agency said that the levels of rivers in the southwest which 
were high on Monday night were beginning to fall on Tuesday, reducing the risk
 of floods.

Heavy snow hit regions further north in England and Wales, leading to road and
 school closures and power outages.

A band of snow stretching from south Wales into the Midlands left up to 3,000 
homes without electricity in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and
Herefordshire.

Parts of Sussex, southern Britain, were among the regions hardest hit by the 
weather, broadcaster Sky News reported on Tuesday, with some residents finding
 themselves marooned on an island in the midst of a lake that burst its 
barriers.

Many created makeshift barriers to protect their homes from rising flood
water,  Sky reported.

In the Cotswolds snow caused treacherous conditions on the roads despite snow 
ploughs being deployed to clear roads, the Sky report said.

Thousands of people in some villages were left without electricity after snow 
brought down power lines, but power is being gradually restored, Sky reported.

The stormy weather came as the heaviest snowfall recorded for 18 years wreaked
 havoc on Britain's transport network last week.