People in Norfolk have been warned to prepare for the worst as a potentially severe El Niño threatens to bring extreme weather to the UK.
The warning follows predictions of what could be an El Niño of historic intensity, raising the risk of a wild, wet winter and flooding across the country.
El Niño is a natural climate cycle that warms ocean temperatures in the Pacific, amplifying extreme weather globally.
Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, said: "We’re about to experience probably the largest El Niño that has ever been seen, and that will lead to drier summers, wetter winters with more extreme storms in this country.
"If you’ve got a store of a bit of food that can keep you going for a while before the emergency services can get to you, you’re going to be a lot better off than if you haven’t."
The warning comes as the government prepares to launch a new emergency preparedness campaign.
Ministers are encouraging households to keep tinned food and other essentials on hand in case of being without power or water.
Share