Warning: Yellow
To expect: Rain
Affected areas: South West England, Wales
Start time estimate: Friday 2am
End time estimate: Saturday 10pm
The Met Office has issued a Yellow rain warning for South West England and Wales for Friday and Saturday. All local areas affected are listed below.
The regions should prepare for substantial rainfall, starting on Friday at around 2am and ending Saturday at 10pm.
The Yellow warning for rain was issued at 4:14am on Saturday, January 24.
A Met Office forecast said: “Storm Ingrid (named by IPMA, the Portuguese Met Service), will slowly drift northwards over the Celtic Sea during Saturday, with bands of frequent heavy showers revolving around its centre, merging into longer spells of rain at times. An additional 20-40 mm, and in a few exposed locations 50 mm of rainfall is expected to fall. With ground conditions saturated in many places, further flooding of roads and flowing water from fields is likely even with modest amounts of rainfall, leading to difficult driving conditions and roads potentially becoming impassable at times. Although not as strong as yesterday, winds approaching gale force during Saturday morning may continue to exacerbate impacts at times, particularly along the English Channel coastline.”
What to expect
Spray and flooding on roads will make journey times longer, and a few roads may become impassable at times.; There is a small chance that a few homes and business could be flooded; Some interruption to power supplies and other services are possible.; Bus and train services may be affected with journey times taking longer; Difficult, and at times dangerous, driving conditions are likely in the heaviest showers.
What should you do during intense 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
South West England
Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Plymouth, Somerset, Torbay
Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan
What is a 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 10pm on Saturday.