Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: South West England, Wales

Start time estimate: Wednesday 10am

End time estimate: Wednesday 11pm

The Met Office has issued an updated Yellow rain alert for South West England and Wales for Wednesday. All local areas affected are listed below.

Heavy rainfall is forecast for the regions, expected to start at around 10am on Wednesday and persisting until 11pm.

The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 11:09am on Tuesday, December 16.

A Met Office forecast said: “A period of rain, heavy at times, especially over high ground, will move slowly east across this region during Wednesday. Coming off the back of recent very wet weather, some travel disruption and flooding is likely across much of the warning area. 10-20 mm of rain is likely to accumulate quite widely across the warning area, but 40-60 mm is possible over the high ground of Dartmoor and the hills of south Wales. Rain should clear to the east during Wednesday evening and into the early hours of Thursday.”

What to expect

Bus and train services affected with journey times taking longer; Spray and flooding on roads will make journey times longer; Some interruption to power supplies and other services; A few homes and businesses flooded.

What should you do during heavy downpours?

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

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Torbay

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan

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 11pm on Wednesday.