The Met Office has issued a new weather warning spanning 21 hours with torrential rain and flooding forecast to hammer much of the UK over the coming days.
The new warning for rain will be in place from noon on Monday, February 2, until 9am on Tuesday, February 3 and will affect the south west of England. “Further rainfall on Monday and into Tuesday may lead to some flooding and disruption,” the Met Office said.
The full forecast read: “Whilst there is some uncertainty, outbreaks of rain may become persistent on Monday, especially later in the day and overnight, before gradually easing and clearing into Tuesday.
“Accumulations of 10-20 mm are possible fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 30-50 mm over Dartmoor. Given saturated ground following recent rain, there is a chance this may leading to some flooding and disruption in places.
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- Torbay
The forecaster also shared the following advice: “Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit. Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.”
The Met Office also issued a long-range forecast for February 3 to February 12 which predicted a “largely unsettled” period of weather, with long spells of rain and wind expected and the prospect of snow “not ruled out”.
According to other forecast, snow could hit the UK from next week. New weather maps generated by WXCharts show the band of snow sweeping a huge section of the country, from the Scottish Highlands down to Birmingham, on the evening of Tuesday, February 3. It will follow a drop in the mercury to below freezing for northern and central regions in the first few days of next month.
Although the snowfall is expected to span an impressive stretch of the UK, not everywhere will see flurries next week, with the Highlands and Scotland’s eastern coastline, including Dundee, the only areas north of the border set to be impacted on Tuesday. Carlisle, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester are all also among the cities turning purple on the weather maps, but nowhere south of Birmingham is forecast for snow.
According to WXCharts, the wintry weather will begin a retreat back up to northern regions from Wednesday, February 4, with flurries only expected as far south as Manchester and snow depths intensifying in Scotland.