Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Saturday 10am

End time estimate: Sunday 7am

The Met Office has issued an updated Yellow rain alert for several regions across the UK for Saturday and Sunday.

The warning is covering parts of East Midlands, North East England, North West England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.

Persistent rain is forecast for the regions, expected to start at around 10am on Saturday and lasting until Sunday at 7am.

The updated Yellow warning for rain was issued at 11:27am on Thursday, September 18.

A Met Office forecast said: “A band of rain, heavy at times, across Wales, northern England and southern Scotland is expected to remain slow-moving during Saturday morning before making erratic eastward progress, eventually clearing early on Sunday. Whilst there is still some uncertainty in the focus for the heaviest rainfall, 20-30 mm of rain is likely to fall quite widely and there is a chance that 60-80 mm of rain could fall in places. These higher accumulations may not be confined to high ground only. Due to this uncertainty, further changes to the warning area are possible. As the area of rain clears east, a spell of strong northwesterly winds may develop later Saturday and Sunday morning, most likely towards North Sea coasts.”

What to expect

There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings; There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life; Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services; Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures; There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.

What should you do during heavy downpours?

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
Derbyshire

North East England
Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland

North West England
Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Scottish Borders

Wales
Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Wrexham

West Midlands
Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin

Yorkshire and Humber
East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York

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 7am on Sunday.