UK weather: Met Office amber rainfall warnings for Friday ahead of Storm Claudia

Storm Claudia, named by the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET), has already brought heavy rain and strong winds to Spain and Portugal.

But rain associated with this storm spread across England and Wales, stopping and continuing for most of the day on Friday.

The Met Office’s large yellow severe weather warning is in force across much of England and Wales and will remain in place until 0600 GMT on Saturday.

Around 30-50 mm (1.2-2.9 inches) of rain is expected on a fairly widespread basis, which may cause some localized flooding and transport disruptions.

However, the Met Office’s tougher Amber warnings for parts of south-east Wales will be in force between 12:00 and 23:59 GMT, when up to 150 mm (about 6 inches) of rain is possible in higher elevations.

An additional amber warning will also come into force for parts of east Wales, the Midlands and eastern England.

About 40-60 mm (1.6-3 inches) of rain is expected here, with some places seeing up to 80 mm (3.2 inches) of rain.

The average rainfall for the whole of November in Central England and South Wales is between 60-100mm (3-4in), so there is a good chance some places will see close to a whole month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

Flooding is likely, especially in Amber warning areas.

While flood warnings are already in place in some parts of the country, Ben Lukey, Environment Agency Flood Duty Manager, said:

“Storm Claudia will bring heavy, prolonged rainfall to parts of England; serious surface water flooding is possible across central England on Friday, with significant river flooding also possible through Saturday.”

In addition, with the disruption of transportation, there will be some difficult driving conditions.

RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: “We urge motorists to take amber weather warnings for Storm Claudia extremely seriously as they indicate there is a high likelihood of roads being flooded, thus posing a risk to life.”

“Motorists may consider postponing their journeys until the worst impacts are over, particularly in the hardest-hit areas this weekend.”

The rain will be accompanied by strong winds from the east.

Additional yellow wind warnings have been issued for the far north-west of Wales and the Pennines.

Winds of up to 80-113 km/h (50-70mph) may cause minor damage and disruption.