Met Office upgrade part of rain weather warning to amber as downpours batter the UK

An amber rain warning is now in place across the Midlands, covering areas such as Birmingham, Worchester, Gloucester, Leicester and Peterborough. The warning is in place from 6pm today (September 26) until 6am Friday morning (September 27).

The Met Office said in its warning update: “Slow moving showers and thunderstorms will develop through the afternoon, merging into a large band of heavy rain through the evening, before clearing slowly south overnight. Some places, especially across central and eastern parts of the warning area, are likely to receive 30-40mm in three hours or less, and perhaps 50-60mm or more in around six hours.

“This rain will fall onto already saturated ground and affect communities recovering from recent flooding. Travel disruption and further flooding is likely, with rivers continuing to rise after the rain clears.”

It comes after the weather service introduced yellow weather warnings for almost all of the rest of England and southern Wales. One warning is in place across the north and north-east of England until midnight tonight, while the other warning covers central and southern England and South Wales until 9am on Friday morning.

There is also a yellow weather warning in place in Northern Ireland, due to expire at 6pm today. The Met Office said: “Eastern counties will see the largest rainfall amounts, especially across Co Down and Co Antrim, where 30 to 50 mm is likely quite widely, and perhaps as much as 60 to 80 mm across high ground such as the Mournes. Despite recent dry weather, this may lead to some flooding and transport disruption.”

There are warnings that persistent downpours on already-saturated ground could cause flooding in some areas, leading to transport issues. Met Office forecaster Paul Gundersen said: “With the rain on Wednesday and Thursday potentially falling on already saturated ground a number of warnings for rain have been issued outlining the increased risks for potential impacts.”

There are currently 27 flood warnings across the country and a further 72 flood alerts. The rain is expected to dissipate on Friday, but temperatures will remain colder on Saturday.