Two new weather warnings have been issued for heavy rain next week, as a deluge is set to begin in the south on Sunday afternoon. Yellow weather warnings come into force on Sunday for wind and rain which will hit areas already saturated by downpours earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, fresh yellow rain warnings have been issued by the Met Office, one covering eastern England between 8am on Monday and 3am on Tuesday, and the other across North Wales and north-west England between 00.30am on Monday and 8pm the same day. Both new warnings forecast between 20-40mm of rainfall widely, with 60mm also possible in a few places across North Wales and north-west England and between 60-80mm in some areas in eastern England, the Met Office said.
Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said they are expecting some “pretty heavy persistent rain” across North Wales and north-west England, with North Wales set to get the brunt of the rain. The higher grounds in eastern England will see the most rainfall, with areas including Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire seeing less but already being saturated by recent heavy rain, he added.
Sunday’s rain warning – meaning further heavy rain is likely to cause some travel delays and flooding – is covering much of southern England and South Wales between 4pm on Sunday and 9am on Monday. Between 20mm and 30mm of rain could be seen within the warning area across nine to 12 hours on Sunday, and 50mm to 80mm could fall in some localised places on higher ground, the Met Office said.
The Environment Agency had 33 flood warnings, indicating flooding is expected, and 67 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, in place across England on Sunday afternoon. Mark Garratt, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said rain expected on Sunday and Monday will bring a risk of surface water flooding in large parts of the southwest and southern England, spreading up into the Midlands, and on Monday, flooding in parts of Leicestershire is also possible.
He advised people not to drive through flood water, as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float a car. Environment Agency teams across the country have been checking flood defences and clearing storm drains in preparation for potential flooding. The public is urged to keep checking their flood risk and sign up for free flood warnings to stay updated on the situation.
Additionally, a yellow warning for wind is predicted to cause disruption across southwest England and Wales between 9am on Sunday until the end of the day. Gusts of between 50mph and 60mph could be seen, potentially leading to travel disruption, power cuts, and fallen trees.
The Met Office mentioned that temperatures on Sunday will be 3C-4C below average, in the low double figures. These warnings come after heavy rain and localised flooding have affected areas across England in recent days, causing disruptions to road and rail services. Some counties in southern and central England have already experienced more than 250% of their average September rainfall.
About 650 properties were flooded in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, and the home counties, with around 8,200 properties being protected. By Tuesday night, higher pressure is expected to move in, bringing drier and sunnier spells. The Met Office forecaster mentioned the possibility of a further low-pressure system coming by the following weekend.