UK weather: Month’s worth of rain to fall in 24 hours as Met Office issues amber warnings
Heavy rain and high winds will hit parts of the country, with the equivalent of a month’s rainfall falling in just 24 hours as an amber “danger to life” warning comes into force.
The most significant rainfall will fall in parts of south Wales, with 100 to 200 mm of rain possible in some areas. The Met Office has raised the impact level of its travel disruption and flood warning to high.
Western and south-western parts of the UK will also be affected by bands of heavy rain; Yellow warnings will be in place in London and south-east England, south-west England and the West Midlands from midnight on Monday until 3am on Tuesday morning.
Met Office senior meteorologist Marco Petagna said: “Later today we will start to see wet and windy weather from the west and then tomorrow we will see a very unsettled day for most parts of the UK, particularly the western parts of England, Wales and south-west Scotland.
“We could see up to 120mm of rain, meaning almost five inches of rain in a few places, which is on top of what has already been a very wet month. We’re likely to see flooding issues by tomorrow, particularly in south Wales.”
Mr Petagna said warnings could also be issued towards the end of the week, but “given the high significance of the weather” on Monday it was too far ahead to worry about that.
A yellow rain warning has also been issued for the East Midlands, north-west England, south-west Scotland, the West Midlands and areas in Yorkshire and the Humber from midnight Tuesday until 3am Tuesday morning; Rainfall of 20 to 40 mm is expected in a few places on the Cumbrian falls, with 100 to 120 mm expected.
The Met Office said heavy rain will be accompanied by strong winds from the south-west, and storms are possible along the coast and in higher elevations.
Rain warnings remain in effect from midnight until 9pm on Monday in Central, Tayside and Fife and Strathclyde in north-east England.
Natural Resources Wales duty tactical manager Richard Preece said people should be aware of possible flooding.
He said: “With some rivers already swollen and the ground saturated, we expect a number of flood warnings and alerts to be issued. “We also expect the rain to cause surface water problems.
“We urge people to be careful and be prepared for possible flooding. You can check on our website if you live in an area at risk of flooding and sign up for our free flood warning service.”
According to the Met Office, the UK weather forecast for next week is as follows:
Today
A better day for many; many people see a sunny, dry day. Heavy rains affecting the coastal regions, especially the north and northwest, turn the hills into winter. Then, there is anxiety due to the rain and cold weather coming from the west.
Tonight
A clear evening and light frost in the east. Wind and rain will continue to come from the west, it will be heavy in places, and there will be some snow in the Scottish highlands. It’s lighter.
Monday
Rain outbreaks continue in south-west England and south Wales, where disruption from flooding is likely. Windy for most and coastal storms possible. It gets brighter in the north. Light.
View from Tuesday to Thursday
The rain clears early on Tuesday, leaving sunshine and showers for most of the week. These are most common in the south and west. Temperatures are around average for early December.
