Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Sunday 9am

End time estimate: Monday 7am

The Met Office has issued an updated Yellow rain warning for several regions across the UK for Sunday and Monday.

The warning is covering parts of East Midlands, East of England, London and South East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.

Heavy rain is forecast for the regions, expected to start at around 9am on Sunday and continuing until Monday at 7am.

The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 11:38am on Thursday, January 23.

A Met Office forecast said: “A period of heavy rain is likely to affect central and southern England and much of Wales during Sunday morning followed by some heavy, thundery showers. Quite widely, 10-20 mm will fall, with locally nearer 30-50 mm over high ground, particularly over exposed south or southeast-facing upslopes. It’s then likely that a further spell of heavy rain may develop and affect parts of England and Wales on Sunday evening, clearing early Monday and should this be the case a few places may see as much as 80 mm of rain in total. Given recent heavy rain, this extra rainfall could lead to some local surface water and river flooding.”

What to expect

There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings; There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life; Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services; Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures; There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.

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 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings.

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

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

North West England
Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester

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
Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham

West Midlands
Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire

Yorkshire and Humber
East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, 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 7am on Monday.