UK weather: Danger to life warnings issued, as month’s worth of rain set to hit over 30 hours

Latest updates as gale force winds of up to 60mph set to hit UK with potential for powercuts

UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

The Met Office has issued “danger to life” warnings with Britain set to be hit by a month’s worth of rain over just 30 hours.

Homes could be hit with powercuts and communities cut off as downpours arrive across the UK on Friday, forecasters warned. Gale-force winds of up to 60mph will also batter some regions and the first snow of the season might hit higher ground.

A yellow weather warning for rain is in place from 12pm on Friday until midnight on Saturday, covering most of Wales and the south west of England, plus a swathe of the north stretching from Birmingham to Carlisle.

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Key Points

• Month's worth of rain set to fall in 30 hours
• Met Office issues yellow weather warnings for rain

[25 October 2019 12:16 · emma.snaith]

Good afternoon, and welcome to The Independent's rolling coverage of the floods set to hit the UK.

[25 October 2019 12:19 · emma.snaith]

Met Office issues severe yellow and amber weather warnings for rain 

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain from 12pm on Friday until midnight on Saturday, covering most of Wales, plus a swathe of northwest England stretching from Leeds to Carlisle.

An amber weather warning for heavy rain has been issued for parts of South Wales. 

Forecasters say there is a chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life in the affected areas.

[25 October 2019 12:22 · emma.snaith]

Month's worth of rain to fall in 30 hours 

Some regions could face “the possibility of up to 100mm of rain in 30 hours” (the equivalent of a typical month’s rainfall in some regions), Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge told The Independent. 

“There is a conveyor of cloud and rain that’s going to be bringing this rainfall more or less continually over parts of the west, especially Wales."

Read more here: 

[25 October 2019 12:28 · emma.snaith]

Yellow weather warning upgraded in Wales 

There is a risk of flooding and transport disruption in South Wales after the Met Office escalated the yellow warning for rain across the region to amber. 

[25 October 2019 12:45 · emma.snaith]

Houses washed away after deadly storms hit Europe

Meanwhile in Europe, several people have died and others are missing after torrential rain caused flooding across France, Spain and Italy. 

Firefightes in Spain are searching for an elderly woman and her son who were staying in a prefabricated house in Vilaverd, a small town close to Barcelona, when it was washed away after the nearby river burst its banks.

Read more here: 

[25 October 2019 14:36 · emma.snaith]

Up to 120mm rain could fall in South Wales 

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said that a "low-pressure system" over the Azores is expected to come across to the UK, bringing widespread rain with it.

She said: "The areas most at risk are the areas that are within the warning areas, so you've got parts of Cumbria and the Pennines. There's a warning over Wales and then there's another warning over parts of the South West.

"We're looking at 30mm to 50mm of rain quite widely, with perhaps 120mm over higher ground for the warning in south Wales."

[25 October 2019 14:37 · emma.snaith]

Jet stream from Azzores brings heavy rain

Forecasters say that a "low-pressure system" moving from the Azores is bringing widespread rain to the UK. 

[25 October 2019 14:37 · emma.snaith]

Restrictions on Severn Bridge due to strong winds

There are restriction in place on the Severn Bridge due to strong winds, according to local media reports.  The restrictions are in place in case the bridge needs to be closed quickly if the winds get worse. 

[25 October 2019 14:48 · emma.snaith]

First snow of season could hit higher ground 

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said that chillier weather can be expected this weekend, with the first widespread frost of the year anticipated.

She said: “We've also got some polar maritime air moving in across the country, so where this warmer air that's coming up from the south meets the colder air, you see the heaviest rain at that point.

“Because of the colder air, there's a possibility that some of the rain may fall as snow, but only over very high ground in the north

[25 October 2019 15:02 · emma.snaith]

Met Office warns of heavy rain during evening rush hour

The Met Office has warned of downpours across England and Wales and heavy showers in Scotland during the evening rush hour.