Met Office issues new 21-hour weather warning for Wales

Sunday morning is set to be soggy in Wales even in places weather a weather alert is not in place
-Credit: (Image: PA)


A 21-hour weather warning for rain has been issued for parts of Wales. It follows flash flooding in the south of the country after a month’s worth of rain fell in just a few hours on Friday, September 6.

The new Met Office warning covers south and mid Wales from 9pm on Saturday, September 7, until 9pm on Sunday. The pattern continues the north-south weather split seen across the UK in recent days – except that this time the rain alert extends as far north as Welshpool, Powys.

The Met Office said there “remains some uncertainty” with the exact details but areas of heavy and at times thundery rain are expected to spread north, then west, across England and Wales from Saturday evening and overnight. The forecaster added: “These areas of heavy rain may become more persistent across western areas during Sunday daytime whilst slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to develop further east.

READ MORE: People vow to 'cover up' as AI face-mapping cameras deploy in North Wales

READ MORE: The 116 locations of mobile speed cameras in North Wales in September 2024

“Rainfall amounts will vary considerably across the warning area with some locations seeing less than 10mm of rainfall whilst others see 40-60mm of rain. There is a lower chance that a few spots within the warning area could see 80-100 mm of rain by the end of Sunday which may fall in a fairly small period of time.

"These higher totals are slightly more probable in the southern half of the warning area. Given this region has also seen a lot of rain since Thursday, impacts may be more likely than would normally be expected for the time of year here.”

The impacts could include flooding, power cuts and transport delays. The Met Office said there a chance some communities could become cut off by flooded roads, with fast-flowing rivers causing a “danger to life”. The forecaster stressed the risk of these happening was “small”.

On Friday, 87.2mm of rain was recorded in Swansea, with 43.8mm of falling just one hour. The normal average rainfall in Wales for the whole of September is around 60-90mm. Multiple 999 calls were made across the South Wales region with reports of cars becoming stranded in flooded streets. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone

Met Office yellow warning for rain between 9pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday, September 7-8
Met Office yellow warning for rain between 9pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday, September 7-8 -Credit:Met Office

In contrast, much of North Wales basked in warmth. Hawarden, Flintshire, was the hottest place in Wales with a high of 26.4C.

However a band of rain is expected to sweep across the region on Sunday, moving eastwards from the early hours. Some of this may produce heavy downpours. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

In its forecast for Wales, the Met Office said: A cloudy night (Saturday) with scattered showers continuing through the evening. Drier interludes for a time, before a second band of heavy, perhaps thundery, showers arrives from the east by dawn. Minimum temperature 14C.”

Find the weather forecast where you live