Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Friday 7am

End time estimate: Saturday 7am

The Met Office has announced a Yellow rain warning for several regions across the UK for Friday and Saturday.

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 rainfall is set to hit the regions, beginning at around 7am on Friday and dying out by 7am on Saturday.

The Yellow warning for rain was issued at 11:29am on Wednesday, November 12.

A Met Office forecast said: “Outbreaks of rain will develop through Thursday evening and night, becoming prolonged and heavy throughout Friday, before slowly easing into Saturday morning. Strong easterly winds will accompany this rain. Accumulations of 30-50 mm are expected quite widely, with some places receiving 60-80 mm, and potentially in excess of 100 mm over east-facing hills in southeast Wales. This, following recent wet weather, could lead to some surface water and river flooding impacts. Although some uncertainty exists in the areas of heaviest rainfall, impacts appear more probable across southeast Wales, the Midlands and parts of southern England.”

What to expect

Spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions, some road closures, and some bus and train services delayed or cancelled; There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings; There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads; There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.

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 areas affected

East Midlands
Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland

East of England
Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock

London and South East England
Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Surrey, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham

North West England
Cheshire West and Chester

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, 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
North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire

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 7am on Saturday.