21 February 2024 , 11:06
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The Met Office has issued an urgent yellow weather warning for rain, as large parts of the country are set to be battered in the downpour.
The warning for tomorrow covers London, southeast England, east of England and southwest England from 8 in the morning to 6pm. It covers cities like Reading, Brighton and Dorset. The Met Office warned millions of Britons could face travel chaos and power disruptions as heavy rainfall could prompt localised floodings.
A band of heavy, gusty rain is expected to move eastwards across England on Thursday with gusts of around 50 mph in a few places very briefly, as well as some hail and thunder. However, there is a small chance of a broader swathe of very strong winds affecting southern and eastern England with gusts of 60 to 70 mph, mostly likely close to the English Channel and southern North Sea coasts.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “After what has been a wet February so far, further rain is on the way on Thursday, accompanied by some gusty winds and potential impacts for those within the warning areas which cover much of southern, central and eastern England.
“There’s a small chance that wind gusts could reach 60-70mph, mostly likely on exposed coasts, though more widely we're likely to see a shorter spell of heavy, squally rain with hail and thunder in a few places and gusts to around 50mph. Most places within the warning areas are likely to see 10-15mm of rain, with a chance of 30-40mm in a few places. This is falling on saturated ground, which elevates the chances of flooding and disruption.”
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
Over 200 flood alerts and warnings have been issued by the environment agency, as of 11am on Wednesday. The agency states that local flooding from rivers is possible across parts of the Upper Thames area until Friday. Local flooding from rivers and surface water is expected across parts of South West of England on Wednesday and possibly more widely on Wednesday and Thursday. River flooding is probable on parts of the River Severn from Friday and into the weekend.
Local groundwater flooding is possible throughout this week in the Malton area of North Yorkshire, and in south Dorset from Friday. Land, roads and some properties will flood and there will be travel disruption. Friday will be a breezy day for many, with showers feeding into many areas, though these will generally be more frequent in the west. Temperatures are returning more towards average for the time of year compared to the recent mild weather.
Showers should reduce through Saturday, giving most areas a drier spell of weather. Further persistent rain and locally strong winds are likely to move into some southern areas on Sunday, though those further north are likely to see drier conditions.
Regions and local authorities affected by yellow rain warning:
East of England
- Essex
- Hertfordshire
- Norfolk
- Southend-on-Sea
- Suffolk
- Thurrock
London & South East England
- Bracknell Forest
- Brighton and Hove
- Buckinghamshire
- East Sussex
- Greater London
- Hampshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Medway
- Oxfordshire
- Portsmouth
- Reading
- Slough
- Southampton
- Surrey
- West Berkshire
- West Sussex
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Wokingham
South West England
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
- Dorset
- Wiltshire