Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

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

Start time estimate: Monday 6pm

End time estimate: Tuesday 6pm

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

Intense showers will batter the regions. The rainfall is projected to arrive across the areas on Monday at around 6pm, and it will last until Tuesday 6pm.

The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 10:01am on Tuesday, February 3.

A Met Office forecast said: “Rain will persist across the warning area through much of Tuesday, before gradually clearing to the north later in the day. A further 5-15 mm of rain may accumulate quite widely, and given the saturated ground, this may lead to some further flooding and disruption in places, or slow any recovery from flooding in recent days.”

What to expect

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

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 regions affected

London and South East England
Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton

South West England
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Dorset, Somerset, 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 6pm on Tuesday.