Police searching for a missing man find a body in the River Kent near Kendal, in Cumbria
Met Office confirms record rainfall fell on Cumbria in 24 hours - 341.4mm
As many as 5,000 homes in Northern England and southern Scotland flooded
Power has been lost to 42,000 properties in the Lancaster area and more than 1,400 in Cumbria are also without power
Schools closed and hospital services cancelled. Road and rail travel also disrupted
David Cameron has visited the flood-hit region and has chaired an emergency Cobra meeting
The BBC's Fiona Trott is in a flooded Keswick, in Cumbria, from where she sets the scene.
Quote MessageThe wind is stronger than it was yesterday, the rain seems heavier this morning. You get the impression, though, that the flooding may have subsided overnight, because where I'm standing now there would have been flood water. Now you can just see silt. But the rain is again coming in very, very heavily now."
Good morning. If you're just waking up, here's a summary of what's happening as a result of the heavy rainfall caused by Storm Desmond hitting the UK this weekend.
Cumbria has been worst hit, with more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes in the county and in the Scottish Borders.
More than 50 severe flood warnings are in place, external with water levels expected to peak in Carlisle at around 09:15 GMT.
More than 60,000 residents are without power in Lancaster, Lancashire, and large parts of Cumbria
Eight rescue centres have been opened, external in the county as the emergency services battle against rising flood waters.
In Scotland, 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the borders town of Hawick and a train headed for Glasgow has been left stranded at Carlisle station with passengers having to sleep on board overnight.
Environment Agency official tweets...
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Electricity North West tweets...
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BBC weather forecaster Matt Taylor says the Met Office's red weather warnings triggered by the arrival of Storm Desmond are set to end on Sunday morning - but there is still a risk of flooding in parts of Cumbria.
The BBC's Matt Taylor with the latest floods update
More than £10,000 has been donated by the public after a £1m appeal was launched to help people affected by flooding caused by Storm Desmond.
The Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund 2015, launched by the Cumbria Community Foundation, aims to contribute to clean-up costs, emergency repairs, clothing, food and drink, heating and heating equipment, childcare equipment and basic furniture for individuals and families who already struggle financially.
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Here's a look at rain levels from official observing sites in the north of England, north Wales and Scotland for the past 36 hours.
Passengers are sleeping on board a Virgin train which is stranded at Carlisle station.
Ashley Harkins was en route from Birmingham to Glasgow when the train was stopped because of flooding.
Image source, Ashley HarkinsQuote MessageWe're being put up on the train as there isn't anywhere else to stay. We stood for two hours in the rain at Preston before being put on buses. When we arrived here they admitted we should never have come that far because conditions were so bad.
She said all hotels in the city were full and they were left with no option but to sleep on board. The train company has provided emergency foil blankets and hot drinks for passengers, she added.
BBC correspondent Danny Savage is in Carlisle where the River Petteril is already level with the flood defence barriers.
He said the bridge at Warwick Avenue, one of the busiest routes into the city, is currently closed over fears of structural problems.
He said: "People are very anxious tonight... The water in this area is due to peak at around 08:00."
Walter Clooter who runs a hostel in Ennerdale Valley in Cumbria says the downpours haven't stopped.
Quote MessageWe've got a rain gauge and it must have gone way over 160mm over the past 24 hours. At the moment we are completely cut off from the world and I've got about 37 guests that are completely stranded. We've only got one road leading into the hostel and no way out because the lake is completely burst."
Cumbria resident Martin Parlett tweets...
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Engineers and other agencies are working to safeguard power supplies to 60,000 properties in Lancaster, Electricity North West has said, external.
Fire engines are currently pumping water from the major substation that serves the area and extra pumps, sandbags and engineers are on their way to site after the River Lune burst its banks and floodwater threatened to breach defences.
Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West, said: “We’re working with the fire service, police, Environment Agency and council to do all we can to prevent the substation site flooding.
“Our engineers have been out all day doing all they can to repair storm damage and prevent any further disruption. We will continue to do everything we can to work to keep power supplies to customers.”
The Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who is also the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, got caught up in the floods while driving with his family.
Image source, PAQuote MessageIt is incredible weather, we've not seen anything like this. And you know, this is Cumbria, we are used to challenging weather. This is beyond anything even I can recall and all around our neck of the woods, Kendal our main town, so many roads underwater there.
Around 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Hawick in the Scottish Borders due to flooding.
A further 700 people have been moved in nearby Newcastleton.
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Marco Petagna, a forecaster at the Met Office, said parts of Cumbria and Lancashire had been hit with more than a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours.
The village of Shap in Cumbria had the most, with 178.2mm of rain falling in the 24 hours until 7pm on Saturday night, while Keswick was hit with 156.4mm over the same period.
The average rainfall for Cumbria for the month of December is 146.1mm, he said.
Quote MessageThere is still the potential for more rain to come overnight, potentially another 100mm in the Lake District over the next 12 hours. To have this amount of rainfall in that short space of time is very unusual."
Marco Petagna, Met Office forecaster
Tim Padfield, BBC radio news editor
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