Households urged to 'stock up on batteries' before Thursday amid weather shift

Met Office urges UK households to 'stock up on batteries and torches'
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


The Met Office has urged people in certain parts of England to stock up on batteries before Thursday (September 26). The warning has been issued ahead of yellow weather alerts which have been issued for large parts of the country.

Two yellow alerts for rain are in place on Thursday covering central and southern England, the bottom half of Wales and the northeast of England. With the potential for heavy rain, the Met Office has warned about the potential for power cuts.

The Met Office warned: "People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items. Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area."

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A further yellow warning for rain has been issued for Friday (September 27), which will remain in place from Thursday covering parts of central England, including the West Midlands region. It will see a week of heavy rain continue after previous yellow weather warnings were issued last weekend going into the start of the week.

The region experienced thunderstorms and a number of properties were struck by lighting. The Met Office said of the latest weather warning: "Whilst some areas will miss the worst, areas of heavy, showery rain are expected to become widespread across a swathe of England and Wales during Thursday evening and on into Friday morning.

Met Office weather map for Thursday
Met Office weather map for Thursday -Credit:Met Office

"There is some uncertainty in the details, but some locations may see up 20-30 mm of rain in two to three hours and perhaps 40-60 mm in four to six hours. Lightning and strong, gusty winds may be additional hazards, especially in southwest coastal areas. Given the recent very wet weather, this will bring the potential for further flooding and transport disruption."