Warning: Yellow

To expect: Rain

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

Start time estimate: Thursday 5am

End time estimate: Thursday 11pm

The Met Office has announced a Yellow rain warning for London and South East England, South West England, Wales and West Midlands across the UK for Thursday.

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

Heavy rain will hit the regions. The showers are anticipated to arrive across the areas on Thursday at around 5am, and it will last until 11pm.

The Yellow alert for rain was announced at 10:34am on Wednesday, February 4.

A Met Office forecast said: “Rain arriving from the south overnight Wednesday into Thursday is likely to turn heavy and persistent in places for a time during Thursday morning. Then following a brief respite for many, albeit with some heavy showers around, a further area of organised and at times heavy rain is likely to once again arrive from the south, affecting the same area. 10-20mm of rain is likely to have fallen fairly widely by the end of Thursday, with a few spots seeing in excess of 30mm. Given the widely saturated ground conditions, some low impact surface water flooding is probable, with difficult driving conditions from spray, flowing water or flooded roads in particular.”

What to expect

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

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 regions affected

London and South East England
Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton, West Sussex

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

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen

West Midlands
Herefordshire

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 11pm on Thursday.