Met Office issues 18-hour rain warning with flooding and power cuts possible
A Met Office warning of heavy rain has been issued for much of Wales and southwest England from this evening. As well as downpours, thunderstorms and lighting are possible.
Most places within the at-risk area are likely to see 10mm-20mm of rain but up to 80mm (more than three inches) is possible in some spots. Further ahead, forecasters are also keeping an eye on the charts with the chance of a storm developing over the weekend.
The Met Office alert runs from 6pm on Tuesday, October 15, until midday on Wednesday, October 16. Areas of rain are expected to develop in southwest England before before becoming heavier and expanding north on Tuesday evening and overnight into Wednesday.
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The Met Office said the downpours may lead to some travel disruption and flooding, with difficult driving conditions and a slight chance of power cuts. The forecaster said: “Many places will see around 10-20mm of rain.
"But there is a chance some locations may see considerably more than this over a six-hour period, most likely parts of southwest England and South Wales.
“A few places may see 50-80mm of rain fall in six hours. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible in the south of the warning area, with lightning an additional hazard.”
The Met Office said its warning has a “very low likelihood”. But if it does materialise as feared, it will have a “medium impact”, said the forecaster. In North Wales, northeast counties are more likely to be affected. Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community
Wednesday should at least be much milder than of late as warmer air is drawn up from Spain and France. These conditions are expected to persist towards the weekend.
There is a much lower confidence about a storm possibly on the horizon for Sunday, October 20. A few weather models have this rolling in from the Atlantic and striking the UK, causing very strong gusts.
Other models are predicting the storm to be weaker and tracking further away from the UK. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
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