:00:00. > :00:00.rise. That is
:00:00. > :00:08.Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story.
:00:09. > :00:16.There's no end in sight as storms batter our coastline again. Roads
:00:17. > :00:21.are closed and homes are damaged. I have never seen it so powerful as
:00:22. > :00:27.it is at the moment. We have had big serve over the years but the
:00:28. > :00:30.devastation it is doing is surfing. Much of the land is already
:00:31. > :00:34.waterlogged and with the threat of flooding still very real. We ask how
:00:35. > :00:37.can future damage be prevented? And there's no let up tonight, with gale
:00:38. > :00:50.force winds continuing to cause disruption.
:00:51. > :00:54.Also tonight. After Swansea City sack their
:00:55. > :01:02.manager, captain Garry Monk is put in charge ahead of their crucial
:01:03. > :01:06.clash with Cardiff. They have taken a brave decision.
:01:07. > :01:09.They have taken brave decisions in the past and they have worked.
:01:10. > :01:13.A former police officer who was removed from front line duties after
:01:14. > :01:16.this video of an arrest was seen by millions on YouTube is awarded
:01:17. > :01:19.thousands of pounds in compensation. And house prices on the rise and
:01:20. > :01:20.record mortgage lending for Wales' biggest building society helps boost
:01:21. > :01:28.the Principality's profits. Good evening. Storm force gales and
:01:29. > :01:32.torrential rain have again been battering the coastline of Wales.
:01:33. > :01:36.The south from Pembrokeshire to Penarth has been the worst affected,
:01:37. > :01:39.with winds up to 70 miles an hour. There are currently three tidal
:01:40. > :01:44.flood warnings in Newgale, Amroth and Dale and nine river flood alerts
:01:45. > :01:49.across the country. And forecasters say more bad weather is expected.
:01:50. > :01:58.Nick Palit has the picture across Wales.
:01:59. > :02:03.It's now an all too familiar image. Just a month in to 2014, gale force
:02:04. > :02:07.winds, rain, a battered coastline. Here at Penarth in the Vale of
:02:08. > :02:11.Glamorgan, the esplanade was shut to traffic as a precaution. The force
:02:12. > :02:15.of the high tide showering the seafront with rocks and pebbles and
:02:16. > :02:20.seaweed. The nearby Cardiff Bay barrage was also closed for time.
:02:21. > :02:25.With the noon high tide at Aberystwyth came the now familiar
:02:26. > :02:28.scenes of a waterlogged seafront. Though the waves were more muted
:02:29. > :02:35.than in recent weeks, those who came to see the spectacle were aware of
:02:36. > :02:39.the risks of getting too close. It is dangerous, very dangerous. People
:02:40. > :02:46.need to take care when they are out here. People don't listen. They
:02:47. > :02:52.still go to the edge and those waves are very strong. You have got to be
:02:53. > :02:55.careful. The renewed bad weather hit last night and storm force winds
:02:56. > :03:00.brought down power lines leaving 1,700 homes in South Wales were
:03:01. > :03:04.without power for a time. Western Power Distribution say they have all
:03:05. > :03:09.now been reconnected. As dawn broke, the gales continued, producing these
:03:10. > :03:14.dramatic images in Porthcawl. There have also been reports of houses
:03:15. > :03:17.being flooded in the Brecon area. In the West, visitors to Cefn Sidan
:03:18. > :03:21.beach have been warned of collapsing sand dunes. Millions of tonnes of
:03:22. > :03:31.sand have been sheered off the dunes in the recent storm surges, leaving
:03:32. > :03:37.dangerous drops of up to 35 feet. As it dries out, it will then collapse.
:03:38. > :03:41.That is the danger. In Langland on the Gower, those who ventured out
:03:42. > :03:48.took shelter from the wind. The seafront cafe was flooded for the
:03:49. > :03:55.second time in as many weeks. They were reopening this morning after a
:03:56. > :03:59.swift clean up operation. With the storm at the beginning of January,
:04:00. > :04:04.it knocked off some of the wall and there were a few cracks. But we have
:04:05. > :04:07.done that so hopefully this has not caused more damage on top of that.
:04:08. > :04:11.Further north in Dyffryn Ardudwy in Gwynedd, a tree fell on this hotel,
:04:12. > :04:15.wrecking its conservatory. It's the second time this year it's been
:04:16. > :04:21.damaged. Last month, falling trees hit the children's play area and the
:04:22. > :04:29.nearby Cambrian Coast railway line. It felt like an earthquake. I looked
:04:30. > :04:33.out of the window and the branches hit the window. A big tree had come
:04:34. > :04:36.down in the main drive. Today, Prime Minister David Cameron announced
:04:37. > :04:38.another ?100 million will be available for repairs and
:04:39. > :04:42.maintenance and flood prevention. But that's little comfort here in
:04:43. > :04:45.Wales, as the money will be coming from DEFRA's budget and will only be
:04:46. > :04:49.available in England. As forecasters warn that more severe gales are on
:04:50. > :04:57.the way, it seems that any break in the bad weather is a long way off.
:04:58. > :05:00.Britain has just experienced its wettest January for half a century
:05:01. > :05:05.and Wales experienced more than its fair share of rain. Up to 40
:05:06. > :05:12.millimetres of rainfall is expected today and winds reaching 70 mph
:05:13. > :05:15.lashing the South Wales coastline. Derek is here. Derek, what's causing
:05:16. > :05:26.all these storms? Lucy, it's certainly been wet and
:05:27. > :05:32.wild over the last few months. This was Rhyl at the end of last year.
:05:33. > :05:35.Many families were forced to flee the flooding. The New Year, the same
:05:36. > :05:38.old problem. Aberystwyth's seafront battered by gales and big waves
:05:39. > :05:44.causing chaos. And this is the reason for it all. Our old friend
:05:45. > :05:48.the jet stream. The jet stream is a river of strong winds way up in the
:05:49. > :05:52.atmosphere about six miles high. It is strongest in winter with winds
:05:53. > :05:58.over 250mph. It's a bit like a roller coaster. It moves up and down
:05:59. > :06:02.but at the moment it's stuck in a rut and is pointing straight across
:06:03. > :06:05.the Atlantic. The jet stream is like a weather machine with areas of low
:06:06. > :06:08.pressure developing on it along its path. The storms deepen explosively
:06:09. > :06:12.as they track across the Atlantic and move towards the UK, bringing
:06:13. > :06:16.spells of heavy rain, gales and large waves. Of course, intense
:06:17. > :06:20.storms are not unusual in winter but what is unusual is the frequency.
:06:21. > :06:25.We're being hit by one storm after another. December was the stormiest
:06:26. > :06:30.since 1969. January the wettest for 40 years. And for Wales and England
:06:31. > :06:34.combined, January was the wettest since 1766. Looking ahead, there's
:06:35. > :06:39.no sign of the jet stream slowing down with more stormy weather on the
:06:40. > :06:43.way. I'll have a full forecast in 20 minutes, so stay tuned!
:06:44. > :06:50.So more rain to come then and more than likely some flooding as well.
:06:51. > :06:54.So how should these problems be managed? For decades, the
:06:55. > :06:57.authorities have simply built bigger and bigger flood barriers and
:06:58. > :07:00.drainage ditches. Well, now there are suggestions things can be done
:07:01. > :07:04.differently through managing the natural environment. Roger Pinney
:07:05. > :07:12.has spent the day near Welshpool to find out more.
:07:13. > :07:19.More rain, more rain and the forecast offers no letter. This is
:07:20. > :07:23.the River Severn. It concentrates the mind. Fields are waterlogged,
:07:24. > :07:28.draining systems for two capacity. How much more of this can we take?
:07:29. > :07:33.Now there is a rethink about how we deal with flooding. Or rather how we
:07:34. > :07:42.stop flooding happening. It involves planting trees. The soil here
:07:43. > :07:49.actually feels quite dry. When I pick it up, it just crumbles. The
:07:50. > :07:54.second sample was dug just a few yards away. It is hard and
:07:55. > :07:59.compacted. The first can absorb rainwater and the second card. It is
:08:00. > :08:02.because of these trees, planted to provide shelter for animals but also
:08:03. > :08:09.preventing floods by holding water in the land. This is part of a
:08:10. > :08:13.project run by farmers. They argue they have a natural solution which
:08:14. > :08:19.slows the rate at which water gets into streams and rivers. If you
:08:20. > :08:24.flood in Wales, it is probably because the rain fell within 20
:08:25. > :08:29.miles of your house. This is the kind of process that will help
:08:30. > :08:33.prevent that. Supporters of the solution are quick to point out it
:08:34. > :08:37.does not involve vast plantations. The ones already planted in the
:08:38. > :08:42.Welsh blends are probably part of the problem. They speed up the rate
:08:43. > :08:46.at which rainwater moves. The parents are running here. Heavy
:08:47. > :08:52.engineering to keep the floodwaters at bay. A local farmer's immediate
:08:53. > :08:57.country -- concern is the scrapping of a local board which manages
:08:58. > :09:04.watercourses. Decision-making will be taken out of local hands, he
:09:05. > :09:08.says. With the work being sent to the new environmental body, I am
:09:09. > :09:12.sure the cost per metre of train maintenance will be considerably
:09:13. > :09:17.higher and therefore there will be either less work done or
:09:18. > :09:19.considerably more charged. But the minister insisted today the Welsh
:09:20. > :09:25.government is investing in prevention and protection. The
:09:26. > :09:31.defence is that we do have in place have saved over 50,000 properties
:09:32. > :09:39.from flooding. That is a real demonstration of the investment that
:09:40. > :09:43.this government has made. And in flood threatened areas, any
:09:44. > :09:46.investment can't come soon enough. If only the rain would pause for a
:09:47. > :09:50.bit. Swansea City's club captain Garry
:09:51. > :09:54.Monk is in charge this evening after the club sacked manager Michael
:09:55. > :09:57.Laudrup last night. They say the decision to part company was taken
:09:58. > :10:02.reluctantly, but it's in the best interest of the club. Our sports
:10:03. > :10:18.reporter Ashleigh Crowter is at the Liberty Stadium for us tonight.
:10:19. > :10:21.From he wrote to zero in a year. 12 months ago, Michael Laudrup was
:10:22. > :10:26.being praised by fans for leading them to their first major trophy.
:10:27. > :10:33.Tonight he is out of work. The players arrived at training this
:10:34. > :10:36.morning, tight-lipped about events. They had been rumours that some
:10:37. > :10:40.players were unhappy with Michael Laudrup's hands of style and
:10:41. > :10:44.training regime. People at the club had been aware of unrest for a while
:10:45. > :10:50.but the timing of his departure still a surprise. It was a
:10:51. > :10:55.remarkable decline but the first issues arose at the end of last
:10:56. > :11:01.season. There was a public disagreement over transfer policy.
:11:02. > :11:07.Michael Laudrup's agent was very vocal in the media. Clearly there
:11:08. > :11:12.were issues there and a lot of people thought he would probably go
:11:13. > :11:18.last summer. The story is a tale of two seasons. After his appointment
:11:19. > :11:24.in 2012, he made a flying start. Better was to come as he led Swansea
:11:25. > :11:27.to the League Cup. Their first major trophy. Anti-capitalist's best ever
:11:28. > :11:44.season with a top half finish in the league. But even by then, their form
:11:45. > :11:48.was on the slide. The writing was on the wall after Saturday's lacklustre
:11:49. > :11:52.defeat at West Ham. The chairman had initially denied rumours the board
:11:53. > :11:58.were discussing his future. But things changed quickly and the
:11:59. > :12:06.club's captain, Garry Monk, will now be the head man for the foreseeable
:12:07. > :12:10.'s future. They have taken a brave decision. They have taken brave
:12:11. > :12:13.decisions in the past and they have worked. From the Supporters' Trust
:12:14. > :12:20.point of view, we have every confidence. No one from the club was
:12:21. > :12:23.available to speak on camera today. Even the normally talkative club
:12:24. > :12:28.ambassador who was helping to launch a Premier League scheme for primary
:12:29. > :12:34.school. But ordinary fans were more forthcoming. Something had to
:12:35. > :12:41.happen. He was having a sticky moment. But everybody does. The
:12:42. > :12:45.style of his departure but the recent trend at Swansea. His
:12:46. > :12:52.predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, was headhunted by Liverpool. And today
:12:53. > :12:57.he wished the new head coach well. It is always sad when somebody loses
:12:58. > :13:01.their job. Michael has done an excellent job. But they feel they
:13:02. > :13:08.have had to make a change. Garry Monk, in time, is going to be a very
:13:09. > :13:14.good map -- manager. This afternoon, the management team call players in
:13:15. > :13:17.for a second training session. They are hoping it will have an immediate
:13:18. > :13:22.impact against their local relegation rivals on Saturday.
:13:23. > :13:26.Still to come tonight. House prices in Wales are on the
:13:27. > :13:29.rise, but it's a very different picture across the country.
:13:30. > :13:33.And if you think the weather is bad now, there's worse on the way. We'll
:13:34. > :13:37.have a full forecast. Plans to give Wales some control
:13:38. > :13:41.over income tax are in jeopardy tonight after Labour said it would
:13:42. > :13:44.oppose the proposals. The Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith said the
:13:45. > :13:48.Labour-run Welsh government hadn't asked for the power to vary income
:13:49. > :13:51.tax and wouldn't seek it in the future. Let's talk to our
:13:52. > :13:59.parliamentary correspondent David Cornock, who's at Westminster.
:14:00. > :14:04.David, how significant is this? This is potentially very significant. The
:14:05. > :14:08.UK government wants to give the Welsh government the power to vary
:14:09. > :14:13.income tax within limits but only after a referendum. But only after a
:14:14. > :14:19.referendum triggered by Assembly Members. Owen Smith was pretty clear
:14:20. > :14:23.today that as long as Labour are in control in Cardiff Bay, they are not
:14:24. > :14:28.about to trigger a referendum to get a power they don't want and would
:14:29. > :14:36.not use. Certainly, what he had to say surprised MPs today. Owen Smith,
:14:37. > :14:47.previously very enthusiastic about the idea of devolution but certainly
:14:48. > :14:50.he did recognise the power of this. He thought the important thing was
:14:51. > :14:58.not the income tax power as the borrowing powers. The first minister
:14:59. > :15:03.has been extremely clear. He does not think it is a priority for
:15:04. > :15:07.Wales, he does not think it is necessarily going to benefit Wales.
:15:08. > :15:11.And we will not be seeking income tax varying powers in future. We
:15:12. > :15:16.feared there is a trap being laid for the Welsh people by the
:15:17. > :15:20.Conservative party. When this package was put forward last year,
:15:21. > :15:25.the Welsh government welcomed it as a big step forward for devolution.
:15:26. > :15:29.Tonight, the Welsh government says that Owen Smith is echoing the
:15:30. > :15:33.concerns of the first Minister in the sense that the model of income
:15:34. > :15:37.tax put forward as far as the Welsh government sees it is pretty
:15:38. > :15:43.useless. What does the coalition make of this? The Conservatives
:15:44. > :15:48.think it is a big deal. I have just had a text from a Tory MP to
:15:49. > :15:53.highlight what he sees as a money mental change of policy on Owen
:15:54. > :15:57.Smith's behalf. There is also relief in conservative circles because I
:15:58. > :16:01.think they were expecting the focus to be on Conservative divisions over
:16:02. > :16:07.devolution. Some very public spat is quite recently between Andrew RT
:16:08. > :16:10.Davies and David Jones, the Secretary of State for Wales. Those
:16:11. > :16:13.divisions were raised at Prime Minister's Questions but David
:16:14. > :16:19.Cameron told MPs he wanted devolution to go further. We are in
:16:20. > :16:23.favour of taking these further steps, we will be bringing forward
:16:24. > :16:28.legislation and making sure that people in Wales have a real say. I
:16:29. > :16:36.want the Conservatives in Wales to stand as the low tax party in Wales.
:16:37. > :16:40.At the next general election, we could have the Conservatives saying,
:16:41. > :16:44.vote for us we are in favour of further devolution, and labour
:16:45. > :16:50.saying, vote for us, we will stop the Conservative plans for more
:16:51. > :16:54.devolution. The Silk Commission recommended that
:16:55. > :17:00.stamp duty be devolved. The Welsh Conservatives have said they would
:17:01. > :17:03.scrap stamp duty up to -- on all properties up to ?250,000.
:17:04. > :17:07.A former Gwent Police officer who was removed from front line duties
:17:08. > :17:10.by the force after a video of him arresting a pensioner was seen by
:17:11. > :17:14.millions on YouTube has been awarded more than ?400,000 in compensation.
:17:15. > :17:18.Mike Baillon from Torfaen resigned in 2012. A tribunal ruled senior
:17:19. > :17:23.officers made a clear attempt to silence his complaints against the
:17:24. > :17:27.force. Tonight, he's spoken out for the first time about the case.
:17:28. > :17:37.Here's our Gwent reporter Paul Heaney.
:17:38. > :17:40.71-year-old Robert drives off in his range Rover without warning. He had
:17:41. > :17:44.been stopped for not wearing his seat belt and then chased for 70
:17:45. > :17:48.minutes before Mike Ballion smashed his window to stop the pursuit. It
:17:49. > :17:55.was the moment that changed his police career. Ultimately, he was
:17:56. > :17:59.the author of his own downfall. I simply wanted time to pop his seat
:18:00. > :18:03.belt on and then I was going back to headquarters. I had no attention to
:18:04. > :18:07.issue him with a fixed penalty or to pursue him or break the window or
:18:08. > :18:14.arrest him. That all came about as a result of his actions. He was found
:18:15. > :18:20.guilty of several motoring offences. Later settled of court in a civil
:18:21. > :18:26.claim for ?65,000 in costs and damages. It is a terrific waste of
:18:27. > :18:31.public funds and money. It is about time the police were held to
:18:32. > :18:34.account. Mike Ballion was cleared from any wrongdoing but then
:18:35. > :18:38.received threats when this video was posted on the Internet. The way the
:18:39. > :18:43.incident was reported deeply affected him and his family.
:18:44. > :18:46.Unfortunately, my wife suffered a miscarriage shortly after the story
:18:47. > :18:50.came out in the press the first time around and I feel that was brought
:18:51. > :18:56.on as a result of the stress of the way the story was reported. When he
:18:57. > :19:00.complained to senior officers at Gwent Police about the way they
:19:01. > :19:04.handled the incident in 2009, he says they failed to listen and
:19:05. > :19:10.undermined him in his job. Last year, an employment tribunal ruled
:19:11. > :19:14.Mike Ballion was punished by senior officers when they removed him from
:19:15. > :19:18.the front line policing he loved. Now he is in line for at least
:19:19. > :19:24.?400,000 in compensation for the police pension he lost when he was
:19:25. > :19:28.forced to quit. Gwent Police says it is disappointed and is reflecting on
:19:29. > :19:33.today's judgement. Mike Ballion is now moving on, having started his
:19:34. > :19:38.own Woodcraft business. But he says he would rather have his old job
:19:39. > :19:41.back. Former police officers from North
:19:42. > :19:43.and South Wales Police are among those who've won an employment
:19:44. > :19:46.tribunal claim for indirect age discrimination. Around 200 former
:19:47. > :19:49.officers from five forces in Wales and England claimed their careers
:19:50. > :19:52.were unfairly terminated when they were forced to retire after 30
:19:53. > :19:54.years' service. An employment tribunal has now ruled that the
:19:55. > :19:57.policy was discriminatory. The forces can appeal but could face
:19:58. > :19:59.large compensation claims. Further education colleges say
:20:00. > :20:02.they'll have to cut courses because of a reduction in their funding. The
:20:03. > :20:05.organisation representing colleges says it would be unreasonable to
:20:06. > :20:09.expect them to deliver the same amount of learning after two years
:20:10. > :20:12.of budget cuts. The Welsh government has promised to protect the funding
:20:13. > :20:14.for all 16 to 18-year-olds studying in colleges.
:20:15. > :20:17.Over two years we have had around ?17.5 million of cuts. We have got a
:20:18. > :20:20.look at the number of courses it provides and the number of students
:20:21. > :20:22.it in roles. We don't know yet if volumes will become but we know
:20:23. > :20:25.Fleming has been reduced. Once we know that, we will be in a much
:20:26. > :20:28.better position to plan ahead. Labour MP Ann Clwyd has criticised
:20:29. > :20:31.the Welsh Government for not answering her concerns about the
:20:32. > :20:34.standards of health care in Wales. The Cynon Valley MP, who's spoken
:20:35. > :20:37.out about the poor care her husband received in hospital, says she
:20:38. > :20:40.outlined complaints in a letter to the First Minister, but she's still
:20:41. > :20:43.waiting for a response. The Welsh government say they're considering
:20:44. > :20:46.the issues raised in detail and will reply shortly.
:20:47. > :20:49.I wrote to him on December the 3rd. I have had a holding reply but two
:20:50. > :20:52.months have gone by so I don't consider that satisfactory.
:20:53. > :20:57.And you can see more on that story in The Wales Report at 10.40pm
:20:58. > :21:01.tonight here on BBC One Wales. The latest figures show that house
:21:02. > :21:05.prices in Wales are increasing but that the picture is very different
:21:06. > :21:07.across the country. The news comes as Wales' biggest building society,
:21:08. > :21:10.the Principality, releases it annual results showing its profits are
:21:11. > :21:20.growing, boosted by record mortgage lending levels. Here's our business
:21:21. > :21:25.correspondent, Brian Meechan. This shop brings together two sides
:21:26. > :21:31.of the Principality's business. The building society and the estate
:21:32. > :21:34.agency. Overall, the company made a profit of almost ?29 million. The
:21:35. > :21:39.housing market was an important part of that business with mortgage
:21:40. > :21:44.lending reaching ?1.1 billion. That is an increase of 10.7 percentage in
:21:45. > :21:48.loans to home-buyers. Two years ago we set out to grow this business and
:21:49. > :21:51.this is the second year we have successfully managed to grow our
:21:52. > :21:57.lending and that helps people buy their own homes. But alongside that,
:21:58. > :22:00.we have managed to grow our profits as well. All in all, growth together
:22:01. > :22:08.with growth and profits has been a successful year. The Principality
:22:09. > :22:11.has reproduced 95% mortgages. It follows UK and Welsh government
:22:12. > :22:16.schemes to encourage lending to house buyers using public money.
:22:17. > :22:19.Joanne Powell is one of those who has benefited. The 29-year-old
:22:20. > :22:24.police community support officer is moving out of her parents home for
:22:25. > :22:30.the first time. Mortgages are more accessible with the 5% deposits now
:22:31. > :22:34.available. I could afford to buy a home and finish it. If the mortgages
:22:35. > :22:40.were as high as they used to be, I would not be able to afford a
:22:41. > :22:44.deposit. Critics argue that easy access to credit played a major part
:22:45. > :22:49.in the economic crisis but is there a danger of a housing boom in Wales?
:22:50. > :22:54.The latest figures from December showed the average house price in
:22:55. > :22:59.Wales is just over ?118,000. That has gone up by 3.5% in a year. And
:23:00. > :23:03.the picture across the country varies significantly. Prices are
:23:04. > :23:07.increasing in Wrexham and Monmouthshire but they are falling
:23:08. > :23:12.in Swansea, Flintshire and Newport. Experts say that is not a housing
:23:13. > :23:17.boom. It is actually getting back to normal because what we have had is a
:23:18. > :23:21.credit fanning in mortgages which is now being reversed to some degree.
:23:22. > :23:25.Even now mortgages are not back anywhere near where they were before
:23:26. > :23:30.the crisis. Particularly not for first-time buyers. Interest rates
:23:31. > :23:34.are at a record low but will certainly rise in the years to come.
:23:35. > :23:38.Mortgage providers say they are taking future affordability into
:23:39. > :23:41.camp, especially as taxpayers money is being used to help finance many
:23:42. > :23:45.of these new loans. Bad weather again today and more to
:23:46. > :23:48.come. How's it looking for rugby fans travelling to Dublin?
:23:49. > :23:55.Improving for a while on Friday but there's more heavy rain and severe
:23:56. > :23:59.gales on the way. At the moment, there are 14 flood alerts in force
:24:00. > :24:03.in Wales with a risk of more flooding to come. We also have an
:24:04. > :24:07.amber strong wind warning this evening for southern counties.
:24:08. > :24:11.That's in force until 11.00pm. These are the gusts we've had so far
:24:12. > :24:15.today. 71mph at Pembrey on the Carmarthenshire coast. Here's the
:24:16. > :24:18.reason for all the wind and rain. This deep area of low pressure. This
:24:19. > :24:21.depression west of Portugal will bring more heavy rain tomorrow
:24:22. > :24:26.afternoon. In the meantime, windy this evening. Further rain and
:24:27. > :24:29.showers as well. Tomorrow will be a calmer day, but there is more rain
:24:30. > :24:33.on the way. So here's the picture for 8.00am in the morning. Much
:24:34. > :24:37.drier than today. Lighter winds too. Just the odd shower here and there.
:24:38. > :24:42.So dry for a while tomorrow. Some brightness. A little sunshine but
:24:43. > :24:47.more rain will spread from the south across most of the country during
:24:48. > :24:53.the afternoon. Again some heavy rain. Top temperatures of seven to
:24:54. > :24:57.nine Celsius. The wind easterly in the afternoon. In the Vale of
:24:58. > :25:01.Glamorgan, most of the morning will remain dry but turning wet in the
:25:02. > :25:06.afternoon. The wind lighter than today. In Wrexham, most of the day
:25:07. > :25:10.dry. The rain not arriving until late afternoon. Tomorrow night, more
:25:11. > :25:17.rain and showers. Again some heavy rain. Another 15mm to 25mm. Snow on
:25:18. > :25:21.high ground in Mid Wales and the north. The wind picking up again as
:25:22. > :25:26.well. On Friday, showers will gradually clear, becoming dry and
:25:27. > :25:30.brighter with sunshine. The wind easing as well. So if you're
:25:31. > :25:34.travelling to Ireland, a window of better weather, but it won't last.
:25:35. > :25:37.Friday's chart shows another deep low over the Atlantic heading
:25:38. > :25:43.towards Ireland, bringing yet more severe weather. Saturday will be
:25:44. > :25:49.very windy with gales. More rain and heavy showers as well. Hail and
:25:50. > :25:52.thunder possible. Snow on the mountains. A few sunny intervals as
:25:53. > :25:57.well. And it's a similar story on Sunday. So more bad weather on the
:25:58. > :26:00.way. Further travel disruption and flooding likely. Becoming dry on
:26:01. > :26:04.Sunday night but low pressure may bring another dose of rain on
:26:05. > :26:07.Monday. Still no sign yet of a prolonged dry spell on the horizon.
:26:08. > :26:14.And that is Wales Today. We'll have an update at 8.00pm and more news at
:26:15. > :26:15.10.25pm. For now though, from all of us on the programme, have a good
:26:16. > :26:17.evening.