UK weather forecast: Met Office issues 'yellow' warning as heavy rain set to cause power cuts and travel disruption

Alert comes as tail end of Storm Miguel sweeps across English Channel

Heavy rain could cause travel chaos, power cuts and flooding in the south of England and Wales, the Met Office has warned.

Most of the country will be hit with downpours, the weather service said as it issued a “yellow” rain warning for west London, south west England, and parts of the West Midlands and south Wales.

A yellow warning means severe weather is possible over the next few days.

The heaviest showers likely between 2pm and 11pm tomorrow, the Met Office said, as it warned that power cuts were likely in the south on Friday, while train and bus journeys in the region will probably be affected by the deluge.

The unsettled weather comes as the tail end of Storm Miguel comes sweeping across the English Channel from Spain and France. The wild conditions it brings are expected to last over the weekend.

Drivers have been warned of surface water flooding on the roads, with some areas set to receive up to 30mm rain over just a couple of hours.

“There is wet and windy weather on the way for Friday – that is brewing off the north west of Spain,” said Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin.

“That area of low pressure … was given a name by the Spanish Met service, [Storm] Miguel, because it will bring them some severe conditions with strong winds on the north coast of Spain. The system heads northwards but it is weakening as it gets to the UK.

“Having said that these weather fronts will still bring the rain and we’ll see the winds picking up through the day.”

Most of Scotland and Northern Ireland will remain dry and bright during most of Friday, however. Temperatures in northern parts of Britain will range between 13C and 16C.

“Temperatures elsewhere will be in the mid-teens, and under that rain band it’s going to feel pretty bleak with the winds picking up in the east coast,” said Mr Deakin.

Although the formal rain warning lifts at 11pm on Friday night, more showers are expected across the country on Saturday, with some gales possible in the south. A mixture of sunshine and scattered showers is forecast for Sunday and Monday.