Met Office warns of heavy rain with yellow weather warning for several areas

Published Mar 31, 2025

Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: South West England, Wales, West Midlands

Start time estimate: Friday 1am

End time estimate: Friday 10am

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

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

The regions will be hit by heavy rainfall, which is expected to start pouring on Friday at around 1am before tapering off at 10am.

The Yellow warning for rain was announced at 11:46am on Wednesday, January 22.

A Met Office forecast said: “A band of heavy rain will move northeast across this area later on Thursday night, clearing to the east on Friday morning. Accumulations of 15-25 mm are expected fairly widely, with as much as 40-60 mm over high ground, which may result in some surface water flooding in places.”

What to expect

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

What should you do during intense showers?

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

South West England
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, Torbay

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

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 10am on Friday.