Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: Northern Ireland

Start time estimate: Thursday noon

End time estimate: Friday 11pm

The Met Office has issued a Yellow rain warning for Northern Ireland until Friday night.

Heavy downpours will batter the region. The rainfall is forecast to approach the area on Thursday at around noon, and it will continue raining until Friday 11pm.

The Yellow warning for rain was issued at 10:25am on Thursday, February 5.

A Met Office forecast said: “Areas of rain will continue to spread northwestwards across Northern Ireland during Thursday, Thursday night and much of Friday. Rain will be heavy at times and may lead to some flooding and travel disruption in places. The majority of places are most likely to see 10-20 mm of rain and low level impacts, with some southeast facing hills seeing 40-50 mm through this period. Rain is expected to be particularly persistent over the east and southeast facing slopes of the Mourne Mountains and Antrim Hills, which may receive 60-80 mm; here low impacts are most likely overall with a small chance they could be medium. At the same time, strong to gale forecast east to southeast winds may lead to some difficult travel conditions and large waves along Irish Sea coasts.”

What to expect

Spray and flooding will lead to difficult driving conditions and possibly road closures; Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer; Some interruption to power supplies and other services possible; Flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible; Strong winds, generating large waves and spray, may present dangerous conditions for exposed coastal communities.

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.

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 effect until 11pm on Friday.