Met Office issues rain warning with up to 100mm expected in 48 hours

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for rain in the south of England for Wednesday evening and across Thursday.

Ross McGuinness and Andy Wells
Updated ·5-min read
The south of England and parts of Wales are set to be hit by heavy rain on Wednesday evening into Thursday. (Met Office)
The south of England and parts of Wales are set to be hit by heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. (Met Office)

The south of England and Wales is set to be lashed by heavy rain across the next two days, with up to 100mm falling in some areas in just 48 hours.

A yellow warning for rain is in place until 11.45pm on Thursday with the risk of flooding across southern England and south Wales, stretching as far north as the West Midlands. Areas of rain, occasionally heavy, are forecast across the affected region on Thursday with patchy rain in the north east of England, the Met Office said.

Rain is expected to clear in the South West for a time in the evening before returning with a threat of thunder while becoming clearer in the South East.

However, the respite will be short as a further warning comes into place throughout Friday, covering a similar area in England and south-east Wales. The Met Office said heavy rain may lead to travel disruption and flooding, with a slight chance of power cuts and a small chance of some communities being cut off by flooded roads and deep floodwater causing a danger to life.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: “There will be pulses of heavy downpours. That rain continues into Thursday night.

A yellow warning for rain is in place for the south of the country on Friday. (Met Office)
A yellow warning for rain is in place for the south of the country on Friday. (Met Office)

“That rain will be waxing and waning but one or two spots could see up to around 100mm over 48 hours.”

It is a different picture in the north of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, which are are all expected to see fine, dry sunny weather until the weekend, although the far north west may see some patches of rain.

Nasir added: “On Friday we could see some high temperatures across western and central parts of Scotland, 25C or 26C.”

The mixed picture comes a day after widespread thunderstorms and the Met Office revealing that the UK has just gone through the coolest summer since 2015.

Heavy rain is predicted to fall across the south of England and parts of Wales on Thursday. (Met Office)
Heavy rain is predicted to fall across the south of England and parts of Wales on Thursday. (Met Office)

The warnings mean there could be thundery showers that cause sudden flooding on roads and there is a chance public transport may be disrupted. There is also the chance that homes and businesses could flood quickly and buildings could be damaged by floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

However, while the picture is rainy in the south of the UK, parts of Scotland may experience a heatwave, with temperatures up to 26C expected in the west on Friday and Saturday.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: “What we’re seeing is a development of a bit of a split in the weather between the north and south. We could even be fringing on the possibility of nudging into heatwave thresholds in parts of western Scotland by the end of the week.”

Temperatures are forecast to reach 27C in the south east of England on Friday but will be accompanied by cloud and rain, Claydon said.

Yahoo breaks down what the weather will be like for each region of the UK, according to the Met Office.

  • Thursday

Cloudy with outbreaks of heavy rain. Some bright spells possible in some areas in the afternoon. Feeling warm and humid. Maximum temperature 22C.

  • Friday

Cloudy with outbreaks of heavy rain but weakening as it moves northward. Largely dry in the afternoon. Warm. Maximum temperature 23C.

London. 2 September 2024. A woman sitting on a bench holding a mobile phone with an umbrella during a rain shower on Wimbledon Common, south west London. The forecast is for showery rain and thunderstorms after the warm weather spell which will affect parts of the UK today. Credit: Amer Ghazzal/Alamy Live News
A woman shelters from the rain with an umbrella on Wimbledon Common, south west London. (Alamy)

  • Thursday

Cloudy and wet with heavy and persistent rain. Come thunder and lightning possible. Possibly gusty wind in heavy downpours. Maximum temperature 18C.

  • Friday

Plenty of heavy rain with possible thunderstorms. Chance of some brother skies later. Staying warm and humid. Maximum temperature 21C.

  • Thursday

Grey and murky in the East Midlands with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle. Feeling more humid. Maximum temperature 20C.

Cloudy in the West Midlands with light rain possible. Chance of heavy and thundery downpours. Feeling humid. Maximum temperature 19C.

  • Friday

Cloudy but dry with sunny spells in the East Midlands. Feeling very warm and humid. Maximum temperature 26C.

Warm and humid in the West Midlands, staying largely dry and sunny. Heavy rain moving south through the day. Maximum temperature 25C.

Kidderminster, UK. 3rd September, 2024. UK weather: scattered showers and mostly cloudy conditions greet the Midlands this morning, so the brollies are out! Credit: Lee Hudson/Alamy Live News
Rain in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, on Tuesday morning. (Alamy)

  • Thursday

Grey and murky with light rain and drizzle. Feeling cool. Maximum temperature 13C.

  • Friday

Very cloudy with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle. Breezy and cool. Maximum temperature 14C.

  • Thursday

Dry but with some drizzle possible . Breezy but feeling warm and humid. Maximum temperature 18C.

  • Friday

Breezy and humid. Dry with sunny spells for most of the day. Maximum temperature 22C.

  • Thursday

Generally dry but cloudy later, some drizzle possible. Feeling warm. Maximum temperature 20C.

  • Friday

Mainly dry and sunny, feeling warm. Maximum temperature 23C.

Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. 2 September 2024. Heavy Rain showers overnight and in the morning accompanied by misty conditions, temperature 14 degrees centigrade. Credit: Archwhite/alamy live news.
A man with an umbrella up in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, on Monday. (Alamy)

  • Thursday

Dry with patchy cloud and lengthy sunny spells. Windy but warm. Maximum temperature 19C.

  • Friday

Dry and very warm and sunny. Winds easing. Maximum temperature 23C.

  • Thursday

Cloudy with outbreaks of heavy and persistent rain. Feeling humid and breezy. Maximum temperature 18C.

  • Friday

Outbreaks of heavy and persistent rain in the south. Dry and sunny in the north. Maximum temperature 23C.

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