Met Office issues ‘threat to life’ warning as heavy rain to impact travel in London
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast
The Met Office has issued an amber alert for London and South East England as the morning’s torrential rain is expected to cause flooding and disruption.
The amber alert has been issued from 6.13am to 8am on Wednesday for parts of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton as well.
In its warning, the weather service predicted that bus and train services will probably be affected due to “delays and some cancellations”.
The forecaster said that accumulations of 30 to 40mm of rain are likely with as much as 70 to 80mm in a few locations, mostly over the Isle of Wight. “This will lead to a risk of disruption with flooding of some homes and businesses possible,” it said.
The heavy downpour is likely to cause power cuts and loss of other services to homes and businesses.
A separate yellow alert for rain from 6pm on Tuesday until 10am on Wednesday, as well as one for fog further north is in place for other parts of the country.
Met Office extends amber warning
The Met Office has extended the amber warning until 10am as heavy downpours sweep across the south coast of England.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 08:52
Fog warning to cause morning travel disruption
Areas of fog are expected to continue to develop this morning becoming dense with visibility falling to below 100 m in places, the Met Office said.
This will lead to difficult driving conditions, slower journey times and some disruption. The fog will slowly clear after sunrise but may take until late morning to do so in a few locations.
Here are the places affected:
- Derby
- Derbyshire
- Leicester
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Northamptonshire
- Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire
- Rutland
- Bedford
- Cambridgeshire
- Norfolk
- Peterborough
- Suffolk
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cheshire East
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Greater Manchester
- Halton
- Lancashire
- Merseyside
- Warrington
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Powys
- Wrexham
- Shropshire
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Telford and Wrekin
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands Conurbation
- Worcestershire
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Kingston upon Hull
- North East Lincolnshire
- North Lincolnshire
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- York
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 08:30
Red weather warnings in the UK: Recent examples
While only amber and yellow warnings have so far been issues for this week’s heavy downpours, a “danger to life” red warning was issued last week when Storm Babet hit our shores.
Here are some other recent examples of the Met Office issuing a rare red weather warning:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 08:15
The latest weather warnings come only days after Storm Babet caused devastation across parts of the UK.
At least seven people are now thought to have died in incidents related to Storm Babet, while hundreds were forced to flee their homes in Scotland and north-east England.
About 1,250 properties in England flooded during the storm, according to the Environment Agency.
A total of 13 areas broke their daily rainfall records for October last week, including sites in Suffolk, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Kincardineshire, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Derbyshire and Humberside, the Met Office said.
(PA)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 08:00
What areas does the amber warning cover?
Here are the areas that are affected by the amber warning, according to the Met Office:
London & South East England
- Hampshire
- Isle of Wight
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
(Met Office)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 07:47
What are the weather warnings today?
There are three weather warnings issued for today.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for fog which covers a wide expanse of the north; a yellow warning for rain for south and east England and Wales; and an amber warning for the south coast of England.
(Met Office)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 07:32
Amber warning issued across south coast of England today
An amber weather warning had been issued across the south coast of England from 8am today.
Flooding and disruption is expected, the Met Office said.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 07:22
Met Office warns heavy rain could cause travel delays
Disruption to transport across the south of England and Wales is expected this morning after heavy rain overnight.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain from 6pm on Tuesday until 10am on Wednesday, as well as one for fog further north.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the wet weather meant there was “potential for travel delays and poor driving conditions” on Wednesday morning.
He added: “There could be a lot of spray on the roads and some difficult driving conditions as we start Wednesday morning. There could be some delays to public transport as well.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2023 07:20
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking today’s weather developments in the UK.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar25 October 2023 07:13
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