BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES; Downpours and wind to carry on this week.

Byline: Jonathan Evans 

SEVERE gales and heavy rain will continue to hammer South Wales today as the region prepares for another miserable week. Gales of up to 60mph will sweep through Wales today and heavy showers will continue until the weekend. But experts said the storms were not unusual for this time of year and followed tropical storms which have previously hit the Americas.

A Met Office spokesman said: "It's going to be windy and it will stay that way for most of the week.

"There will be rain every day but it should blow through quite quickly with the winds.

"Wales will see heavy rain but nothing as bad as we have seen in Cumbria.

"Friday could see the worst day of rain for South Wales because heavy showers from southwest England could spill over.

"And the weekend looks like it will stay unsettled."

A spokesman for Meteo-Group said: "Gales of over 50mph are expected today and through the evening western areas will have gusts of 60mph.

"There will be some sunny spells but a lot of heavy showers in western and southern areas on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday." Staff at Environment Agency Wales are continuing to monitor river levels across the country and reminding people to remain vigilant against the threat of further flooding.

A spokeswoman said: "People should stay away from rivers as they can be very high and fast flowing.

"Deep water is very dangerous.

Even still water can hide hazards such as open manholes so the message is to stay well away.

"Those living in coastal areas are also urged to be on their guard against big waves caused by very strong winds."

However, she ruled out the weather conditions being a result of global warming, adding: "The predictions are right and we will see more of these stormy conditions in the future.

"But there's no evidence to suggest that this is happening because of climate change."

And Jonathan Powell, senior forecaster for Positive Weather Solutions, based in Abergavenny, said: "A lot of people think it's down to climate change but I'd say it is in line with what we expect of autumnal weather." So far, damage across South Wales has been fairly limited during the heavy weather and some businesses have even seen an upturn in fortune because of the storms.

Kevin Smith, owner of KC Smith Roofing in St Mellons, Cardiff, said: "There have been a lot of leaking roofs. There hasn't been a lot of serious damage.

"It's to be expected after the rain over the weekend but most damage just seems to be wear and tear."

Gareth Ayres, a consultant at Cardiff Treescapes tree surgeons, added: "We've certainly had an increase in the number of safety surveys we've had to carry out on trees.

"But surprisingly we've had very few calls about trees falling.

"I think over the last few years the winds have been significantly greater so most of the unstable trees have already blown over."

There were no flood warnings in place in South Wales last night. Across the country, there were six flood warnings and 17 flood watches. For more information or to report a flood visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk or telephone the 24-hour Floodline on 08459 881188.

SHOPPERS DODGE RAIN WHILE the heavy rain and wind are a curse for most, they are proving a blessing for retailers.

Steven Salaman, of Wally's Delicatessen, said the wet weather is driving more customers into the shelter of the new St David's shopping centre. Up to a million customers a week are shopping in the Cardiff city centre mall and Mr Salaman said footfall is noticeably higher on wet days, with people attracted by the under-cover parking and shopping.

"People are staying in the comfort of the shopping centre rather than going outside and walking to the old Victorian arcades," said Mr Salaman.

"All the St David's retailers are doing really well in worse weather because when it's dry, people don't mind venturing outside."

THE FORECAST: Cardiff TODAY: Heavy rain with 29mph winds and maximum temperatures of 14C. TOMORROW: Highs of 12C, winds of 26mph and heavy showers throughout the day.

THURSDAY: Heavy showers with maximum temperatures of 10C. Winds fall to 20mph and visibility improves.

FRIDAY: Heavy showers with highs of 10C. Wind speeds of 16mph with poor visibility.

Llantwit Major TODAY: Light rain with highs of 14C and gales of 25mph. WEDNESDAY: Highs of 12C with heavy showers and winds of 29mph.

THURSDAY: Winds of 21mph with heavy showers and highs of 10C. FRIDAY: Heavy showers with highs of 11C and winds of 16mph.

Merthyr Tydfil TODAY: Light rain with maximum temperatures of 11C and winds of 24mph.

WEDNESDAY: Heavy showers with gales of 23mph and maximum temperatures of 9C.

THURSDAY: Highs of 7C with heavy showers and winds of 15mph.

FRIDAY: Sunny intervals with maximum temperatures of 7C and 9mph winds.

FIVE THINGS TO DO INDOORS THIS WEEK Keep fit: Why not get to the gym and get in shape for Christmas while beating the bad weather at the same time? Go to the cinema: Dickens' timeless classic A Christmas Carol is back in 3D and could help you feel more festive.

See a show: There's plenty going on at the Wales Millennium Centre and New Theatre as we enter the festive season.

Go bowling: Always a good way to have some family fun and stay dry at the same time. Stay in: With I'm a Celebrity reaching its finale and Lloyd Daniels, right, flying the Welsh flag in the X Factor, who needs to leave the house?

CAPTION(S):

Satellite image showing more bad weather to come for the UK Katarzyna Fiebig, sales assistant at Wally's Delicatessen, braves the windy weather outside St David's Centre PICTURE: Liz Pearce [umlaut]