UK weather: Met Office warns of flooding as heavy rain to lash country for days

Conditions could be ‘atrocious’ for much of the UK as Met Office issues yellow warning for rain

The Met Office has issued weather alerts as a band of rain travels across the country (file photo) (Getty Images)

Drivers have been warned of “very heavy delays” amid flooding caused by downpours set to lash parts of the UK for the next three days.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain, which arrived in Cornwall on Wednesday afternoon and is set to travel across the country before passing over Scotland’s east coast on Friday.

Conditions may be “atrocious” for much of the UK, while the Scottish highlands could see some snow, the forecaster said.

In West Sussex, the A27 was closed westbound near Worthing following a large flood and a crash on Wednesday, while travel service Romanse warned of “heavy delays” around the A27 and A3M near Havant, Hampshire, because of flooding.

The Environment Agency had issued three flood warnings and 43 flood alerts, mostly across the south coast as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Met Office has put out a yellow warning for rain (Getty Images)

The Met Office’s first weather warning, covering a southeast area stretching from Southampton and the Isle of Wight in Hampshire to the coast in Kent, is in place until 6am on Thursday.

Forecasters have warned that roads, homes and businesses could be flooded and transport services disrupted by the downpours.

Another yellow rain warning will come into force across a large area of the UK for Thursday, from 12am until 11.59pm.

This covers an area stretching from Birmingham, Lincoln and Hull to north Wales, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as the east coast up to the Scottish border.

The rain brings a small chance of homes and businesses flooding, communities being temporarily cut off by flooded roads and disruptions to transport, the Met Office warns.

A third warning will come into force at 3pm on Thursday until 6pm on Friday for the east coast of Scotland, stretching from the English border up past Aberdeen with similar risks of flooding, and transport disruptions.

Met Office spokesperson Craig Snell said: “The warning areas are where we are most concerned about the risk of flooding but it doesn’t mean that the areas outside them are not going to see some pretty atrocious conditions.”

Mr Snell said a warning is in place for the southeast because “it has been quite wet there since the beginning of November with many places already seeing more than their month’s share of rain”, but the conditions will have passed by Thursday morning.

The midlands and the north of England will have a “pretty miserable day” on Thursday after the rain sweeps in overnight, Mr Snell said.

“The rain will be accompanied by a brisk wind so it’s not going to feel good.”

But he added that Scotland could see two days of persistent rain, which may result in snow in the highlands.

RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis warned motorists to “exercise great care” during the wet weather.

“The chances of being involved in a collision rise dramatically in wet weather, and even more so if there’s snow, so it’s vital drivers slow down, leave plenty of space behind the vehicle in front and use their lights to make sure they’re easily seen by other road users,” he said.

“The risk of aquaplaning where a vehicle’s wheels lose contact with the road as they skim across standing water will be high, particularly for those who don’t slow down to appropriate speeds for the conditions.”