Yellow warnings for cold issued as arctic air to sweep in while flooding continues

The warnings were issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for parts of the Midlands and northern England.

The alerts are in place for Monday, while flooding is likely to continue throughout the weekend, according to the Environment Agency.

While the worst of Storm Claudia appears to be over, it is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds through Friday evening and overnight.

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Torrential rain is likely to continue into the weekend before colder weather sets in from Sunday, making snow and sleet possible on north-facing coasts and hills early next week.

By Friday afternoon, the worst of the rain from Storm Claudia was in southeast Wales, with 81.8mm of rain recorded at a rain gauge at Tafalog in Gwent – already 60% of the monthly November average for the region.

The alert for the upcoming cold snap is in place from 8am on Monday November 17 until 8am on Friday November 21 and covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber.

Head of road safety at The AA, Tony Rich, has urged drivers in the worst-hit areas to stay off the roads until Storm Claudia has passed.

Mr Rich said: "Storm Claudia has significantly impacted operations on Friday, with The AA experiencing an approximate 15% increase in workload because of adverse weather conditions.

"Our teams are working hard to ensure our members receive the assistance they need as quickly and safely as possible."

Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said the worst of the storm appeared to be over, but warned of the cold snap setting in next week.

Ms Criswick said: "Overall, things are starting to ease away through the course of the night and for the beginning of the weekend in terms of the storm.

"Overnight (on) Saturday and throughout the course of Sunday, we will start to see winds changing to be a bit more northerly, introducing a lot of Arctic air.

"Clouds will clear throughout the course of the day so it will allow for some sunshine, but with it, it’s going to be turning much colder.

"I think people are really going to notice a chill into Sunday and feeling cold in many areas.

"Things are starting to turn less stormy, a bit brighter, but it’s going to be feeling a lot colder and, as we head into next week, we’ll see a continuation of that."

The Met Office said colder air will bring overnight frosts for many across the UK, with lows of minus 5C possible in rural Scotland by Monday.