Brits brace for barrage of heavy rain as Met Office issues rare amber warning after week of floods
26 September 2024, 11:16
Brits are bracing for another barrage of heavy rain over the next two days as the Met Office issues a rare amber weather warning lasting 12 hours.
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Three yellow weather warnings for rain are already in place across the UK, with a rare amber warning set to come into effect at 6pm this evening.
The last few days have seen very heavy rain and flooding across much of England. In a particularly serious incident, dozens of people had to be evacuated from a holiday camp in Nottinghamshire.
And the bad weather is set to continue over the next few days.
This morning, rain warnings came into effect in Northern Ireland, the north-east of England and the south of England.
Later today, a amber warning could mark the start of torrential rain, likely to cause flooding and transport disruption this evening and overnight into Friday.
The amber warning covers large swathes of the midlands and will last until 6am on Friday morning.
Some 80-100mm of rain could fall in some areas, causing flooding and travel delays.
Met Office expert Paul Gundersen said: "The rain today is potentially falling on already saturated ground.
"A number of warnings for rain have been issued outlining the increased risks for potential impacts.
"The highest rainfall totals are likely across the Pennines and North York Moors where 80-100mm could accumulate today."
He added: "Others within the warning area could see 20-30mm quite widely.
"More severe weather warnings may be issued over the coming days so it’s important to check the latest forecast for your area."
Some 27 flood warnings are in place, along with 60 alerts, which are less serious.
And the weather will take a turn for the colder over the weekend, as temperatures look set to dip close to freezing on Saturday across northern parts of the UK.
The Met Office’s Brent Walker said: "Things will be turning decidedly cooler into the weekend.
"Frost is likely for much of the UK overnight on Friday and a more autumnal feel to daytime temperatures."A north-westerly flow of air is developing, bringing cooler Arctic air over the UK.
"Temperatures will drop into the weekend before the next low pressure system pushes across the country from the North Atlantic.
It comes after commuters faced travel chaos on Monday following a weekend of devastating flash flooding - falling heaviest in Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
It left some roads entirely submerged, causing widespread travel disruption, and damage to properties.
