Warning: Yellow
To expect: Rain
Affected area: Multiple, listed below
Start time estimate: Thursday 1am
End time estimate: Thursday 7pm
The Met Office has issued an updated Yellow rain alert for several regions across the UK for Thursday amid Storm Benjamin.
The warning is covering parts of East Midlands, East of England, London and South East England, North East England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.
The regions should prepare for substantial rainfall, starting on Thursday at around 1am and ending at 7pm.
The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 11:23am on Tuesday, October 21.
A Met Office forecast said: “Storm Benjamin is expected to cross the south of the UK later Wednesday and early Thursday; confidence in its track has improved compared to yesterday but still remains lower than usual for this type of weather system which leads to continued uncertainty over the corridor of highest rainfall totals. That said, an extensive and in places heavy swathe of rain will move into southwestern Britain later Wednesday and spread quickly northeast. As the main rainband clears eastward during Thursday, it will be followed by frequent heavy showers in some western areas. Totals are expected to reach 20-30 mm quite widely, with some places seeing 30-50 mm. There is a chance a few places could exceed this, most likely over North Devon and Cornwall. In association with the rain, conditions are expected to turn windy with gales, initially along south-eastern coasts, but more widely across southern Britain during Thursday daytime.”
What to expect
Spray and flooding on roads leading to difficult driving conditions and increased chance of accidents, making journey times longer; Public transport affected in places with some journey times taking longer; Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely.
What should you do during heavy rain?
Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.
Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.
People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do: consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.
For further details see Met Office Warnings & Advice.
Full list of local areas affected
East Midlands
Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland
East of England
Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock
London and South East England
Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham
North East England
Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees
South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay, Wiltshire
Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan
West Midlands
Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire
Yorkshire and Humber
East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York
What is an updated yellow weather warning?
The Met Office has three categories of weather warning, depending on the likely impact of severe weather and also how likely it is to strike in a particular area.
A yellow warning is issued when weather conditions are expected to disrupt travel and traffic and may impact on daily routines but are not likely to pose a risk to life or property.
An amber warning is more severe and advises people to think about changing their plans to minimise the risk.
A red warning means weather conditions are expected to be dangerous with widespread damage to property and a risk to life, with the public usually advised to avoid travelling.
The Yellow weather alert for rain will remain in place until 7pm on Thursday.