The Department of Communities and Local Government is stressing that flood-hit areas need your business:  

It could be Christmas Day before meteorologists know whether heavy rain will bring more flooding to Cumbria.

The Met Office has put out a yellow warning of rain through into Boxing Day,, external but says there's uncertainly about whether the rain will keep falling over one place, or move across the country.

Alan Goodman from the Met Office told BBC Radio Cumbria: "If luck is shining on Cumbria it could be displaced north into Scotland or south, but we're going to have wait until tomorrow or even Friday before we get a clear picture of how it's going to pan out."

The Environment Agency has a network of gauges which show how high rivers are throughout the county., external

Image source, Environment Agency

This is the Appleby gauge reading for the past 48 hours., external

Image source, Environment Agency

This shows the flood peak passing downriver through Linstock, just outside Carlisle., external

The Cumbria Community Foundation's increased its flood appeal target to £6m.

The foundation says three times as many properties have been flooded as in 2009, when a similar appeal raised £3m.  

This time, the public has already contributed £2.5m.

So far 700 families have been helped, and £500,000 has been handed out.  

The government has said it will contribute at least £1m, and possibly up to £2 depending on how much flood appeals in other counties raise.

You can find out how to contribute, or how to get help, here., external

It'll be quite a chilly afternoon, but most of the county will see some sunshine, with the chance of showers on the hills. 

The winds will be strong and gusty, with highs of 9C (48F).

The updated forecast for where you are is here.

Alex Charlton, the owner of The Keswick Boot Company, took these two pictures comparing the River Greta in Keswick at its height, and on the way down.

Image source, Alex Charlton

Image source, Alex Charlton

BBC Travel

There's debris on the M6 northbound between J39, B6261 (Shap) and J40, A66 (Penrith).  

Get the latest travel news here.  

Gareth Hayes from Appleby Town Council, which one of the worst affected areas, says residents are trying to keep up their spirits:

Supermarket Tesco has set up a temporary store from scratch after its Warwick Road superstore was swamped by the floods earlier this month.

Families and businesses in Cumbria face the prospect of seeing their festivities ruined by flood waters as Storm Eva will batter Britain with rain and winds up to 70mph.

The bad weather has prompted weather warnings from the Met Office and fears of further flooding in the North, as well as concerns about effects on transport and communication links. 

Flood warnings are in place across large swathes of the North West, Wales and the North East, external, and the threats are unlikely to reduce in the near future.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "There is currently the possibility for further unsettled weather during the festive period which could lead to some disruption in the North of England. 

 "We are monitoring the situation closely and will issue further flood alerts and warnings if required."

The Environment Agency has reduced the number of flood warnings across the county to two, external.

At one point yesterday there were 15 throughout the region.

As we reported earlier, the River Eden seems to be carving itself some more space just below Warwick Bridge.

But in this picture, taken as the river burst its banks yesterday, the erosion's completely underwater.

A sheep dog has been filmed leading sheep away from a swollen river after heavy rain hit Cumbria for a third time in less than a month.

The sheep were seen fleeing as the plucky Border Collie directed them away from the River Rothay in Ambleside, where the animals had become cut off.

Posting on Facebook, Emily Millington said: "So pleased the sheep and the dog are safe! What an amazing animal!"  

News and Star
Newspaper

A single recorded to help victims of Storm Desmond looks set to break into the Top 100 iTunes download chart., external

Many flood victims could excused council tax payments for up to a year.

District councils are in charge of administering the concession, which could also apply to some second home owners. 

South Lakeland council's trying to trace everyone in the district who's eligible.

Information ranging from which roads are closed to advice for businesses and how to support the appeal is on Cumbria county council's website., external

Here's another photo showing the damage caused by the storms yesterday.

This tree came down in the village of Maulds Meaburn, which is about 13 miles south of Penrith, and was photographed by one of the BBC's Weather Watchers.

Image source, Vicky's Veggie Box

People living next to a stretch of the River Eden say the floods appear to have started changing its course, but there are fears it won't be easy to correct.

The river has begun to carve through a field, just downstream of Warwick Bridge near Carlisle.

Conservative county councillor Nick Marriner told BBC Radio Cumbria: 

Here's the top stories from across the county this morning:

• Rivers across Cumbria are now dropping after floods which affected dozens of households in Appleby last night
• Now the River Eden is dropping, evidence emerges that it's carving itself a new course near Carlisle
• A man died and another suffered serious burns in a fire in Kendal last night