Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands

Start time estimate: Tuesday 1pm

End time estimate: Wednesday 1pm

The Met Office has announced a Yellow rain alert for North West England, South West England, Wales and West Midlands across the UK for Tuesday and Wednesday.

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

Intense rain is expected to lash the regions, arriving across the areas on Tuesday at around 1pm and continuing until Wednesday 1pm.

The Yellow warning for rain was issued at 1:50pm on Monday, April 14.

A Met Office forecast said: “A spell of heavy and persistent rain is expected to move north across western Britain during Tuesday into early Wednesday. Whilst there is some uncertainty in where the heaviest rain will fall, 20-40 mm of rain is expected fairly widely. A few places may see 50-75 mm of rain during this period: gradually building up in the west following rain on Monday, whilst in parts of the east, falling in shorter periods where heavy showers and thunderstorms become slow-moving.”

What to expect

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

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

North West England
Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Merseyside

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Torbay

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham

West Midlands
Herefordshire, Shropshire

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 1pm on Wednesday.