The Met Office has extended the coverage of today’s weather warning to include a wide area of the country preparing for heavy rainfall.
A yellow rain warning is in effect from 9 am until 10 pm, encompassing 47 regions after being enlarged to cover parts of East England and the Midlands, in addition to areas in South East and South West England already mentioned. Rainfall is expected to move northeast across England and Wales, becoming persistent and intense at times before gradually easing during the evening and night, as stated by the Met Office.
Potential impacts include flooding in homes and businesses, disruptions to bus and train services, and longer journey times due to spray and flooding on roads. Individuals are advised to check if their properties are at risk of flooding and, if so, to prepare a flood plan and an emergency flood kit. The Met Office also recommends preparing for potential power outages by gathering torches, a mobile phone power pack, and other essentials.
Rainfall totals of 20mm to 30mm are anticipated across widespread areas, with some regions expecting this amount within a few hours. Certain isolated locations, especially in southern England, could experience accumulations of up to 50mm.
The Met Office warns that heavy rain on saturated ground may result in surface water flooding on Thursday. Additionally, strong winds are predicted to affect parts of southern and southeast England later in the day, with gusts of up to 50mph possible along exposed coastlines.
The rain warning is currently the only advisory issued by the Met Office for today. The forecast indicates that heavy rain showers, accompanied by strong winds, will progress northward and eastward across central, southern, and eastern England, along with eastern Wales.
Elsewhere, sunshine and scattered showers are on the horizon. Rain and strong winds are expected to clear eastward from England early in the night, leaving clear skies across the UK and isolated showers in the west.
Looking ahead to Friday, the forecast suggests early frost and fog clearing to make way for sunshine and showers. Showers are expected to be most intense and frequent in the west and southwest, with a chance of hail and thunder. Breezy conditions, particularly in the southwest, are also anticipated.