Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

Affected areas: London and South East England, South West England

Start time estimate: Thursday 9am

End time estimate: Thursday 9pm

The Met Office has issued an updated Yellow rain warning for London and South East England as well as South West England for Thursday. All local areas affected are listed below.

Heavy rainfall will hit the regions. The showers are forecast to arrive across the areas on Thursday at around 9am, and it will continue raining until 9pm.

The updated Yellow alert for rain was issued at 10:25am on Wednesday, December 17.

A Met Office forecast said: “Following some rain on Wednesday, then a bit of a lull for most areas early Thursday morning, heavier rain is expected to return across southern counties of England from mid-morning onwards. This has potential to cause some disruption to travel, along the with the possibility of some flooding. Widely 15-25 mm is likely across the warning area, but 40-50 mm may fall in some places, most likely over the Downs. In addition, the rain will be accompanied by strong winds, with a chance of gusts approaching 60 mph on exposed southern coasts, and 40-50mph possible inland. Rain will clear to the east by the end of the day.”

What to expect

Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely; Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer; Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer; Some interruption to power supplies and other services possible; Spray and large waves likely to affect some coastal roads, leading to tricky driving conditions at times.

What should you do during intense 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

London and South East England
Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham

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

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 9pm on Thursday.