Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: East of England

Start time estimate: Thursday 1am

End time estimate: Thursday 5pm

The Met Office has announced an updated Yellow rain warning for East of England for Thursday.

Heavy rainfall will batter the region. The rainfall is forecast to approach the area on Thursday at around 1am, and it will continue raining until 5pm.

The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 6:46pm on Wednesday, October 22.

A Met Office forecast said: “A band of rain associated with Storm Benjamin will slowly move east during Thursday but is expected to produce some heavy rain in places, particularly this morning. Whilst most places will only see around 10-15 mm of rain today, a few locations, particularly nearer the coast could see 20-30 mm from shorter bursts of heavy rain.”

What to expect

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

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 Met Office Warnings & Advice.

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 5pm on Thursday.