Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: London and South East England, South West England

Start time estimate: Thursday 9am

End time estimate: Thursday 10pm

The Met Office has issued an updated Yellow rain warning for London and South East England as well as South West England for Thursday. All local areas affected are listed below.

The regions should prepare for substantial rainfall, starting on Thursday at around 9am and ending at 10pm.

The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 8:39am on Wednesday, January 14.

A Met Office forecast said: “An area of low pressure will migrate northeastwards across England on Thursday. Whilst the exact track is uncertain, rain will become persistent and heavy through the day, before clearing to the north through the evening and night. Accumulations of 20-30 mm are expected fairly widely, in some places falling in just a few hours, with the potential for 40-50 mm in a few isolated spots. Given the saturated ground, this may lead to some surface water flooding.”

What to expect

Flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible; Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer; Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer.

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 regions affected

London and South East England
Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire

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 effect until 10pm on Thursday.