Map reveals 37 spots where floods & up to 3 INCHES of rain will hit today as Met Office issues warning – check your area
A MAP has revealed the 37 spots where there might be floods and up to three inches of rain today.
The Met Office has issued a slew of weather warnings as Brits go from soaking in the sunshine to grabbing their brolly's.
The sunny spell has come to an end as some regions are forecast to have 75mm of showers today and tomorrow.
A whopping 37 areas have been issued with a yellow alert for rain, warning the weather may lead to transport disruption and flooding over the next couple days.
The forecaster said: "A spell of heavy and persistent rain is expected to move north across western Britain during Tuesday into early Wednesday.
"Whilst there is some uncertainty in where the heaviest rain will fall, 20-40 mm of rain is expected fairly widely.
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"A few places may see 50-75 mm of rain during this period: gradually building up in the west following rain on Monday, whilst in parts of the east, falling in shorter periods where heavy showers and thunderstorms become slow-moving."
On Tuesday, 22 of the regions issued with a warning are located in Wales with Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport all covered by the alert.
In the South West, Bath, Bristol, Cornwall and Devon are at risk of heavy rain today and tomorrow.
Shropshire and Herefordshire in West Midlands may also be affected by the downpour.
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Residents have been urged to check road conditions, and timetables for public transport, in case there are cancellations and closures.
Those in high-risk areas have been recommended to prepare for power cuts by gathering torches, batteries and a mobile phone power pack.
On Wednesday, even more regions have been issued a warning - with Northern Ireland highlighted in yellow on the map.
Londonderry, Tyrone, Amntrim and Armagh are all covered with a rain alert.
The Met Office urged any household who are at risk of flooding to consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.
Regions and local authorities affected:
North West England
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Halton
- Merseyside
South West England
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bristol
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Gloucestershire
- North Somerset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Torbay
Wales
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
The warm spell in early April has given way to downpours and cooler temperatures across parts of the UK.
Milford Haven in Wales saw 26mm of rain on Monday night, the Met Office reported, and Eskdalemuir in Scotland had 20mm.
Meanwhile, areas of Newcastle dropped below freezing overnight, while temperatures reached 1C in Scotland.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday in areas of the north and south west of England and in Wales.
And the agency warned of "isolated thunderstorms" in the south east of England.
Dane Broomfield, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Heavy rain and showers today and into Wednesday morning mean surface water flood risk is elevated in some places.
"Minor surface water flooding is probable across parts of south west England, as well as smaller areas in the North West and the West Midlands.
"Environment Agency teams will be out on the ground and supporting local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.
"We urge people not to drive through floodwater - it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car."
Georgie Myers, Met Office press officer, said: "As low pressure is back in charge this week, there are cooler and more unsettled conditions.
"There's a yellow warning for rain from midday on Tuesday until noon on Wednesday covering south-west England, Wales, and the north west of England.
"Northern Ireland has a yellow warning for rain from tomorrow afternoon into tomorrow evening."
A yellow weather warning means there is a medium likelihood flood risk that is likely to have a low impact.
Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: "After a long spell of high pressure bringing dry weather and sunshine, gloomier and unsettled conditions are on the horizon.
"Low pressure has become established to the west of the UK, bringing cloud, rain showers, and lower temperatures for many.
"High rainfall totals are possible, but given the recent dry conditions significant impacts are not anticipated.
"The situation remains under close watch, with further wet conditions anticipated on Thursday and another weather front moving in on Friday."
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Met Office spokesman Craig Snell warned on Sunday that this week is "going to feel very different" from the sunshine seen last week across the UK.
This comes after fire chiefs issued a number of wildfire warnings across the UK last week.
UK 5 day weather forecast
Today:
Outbreaks of rain will continue across the south today, with some persistent rain in the south west. Showers could be heavy and thundery at times in central and southern England this afternoon. Drier in the north with sunny spells.
Tonight:
Rain continues in the west tonight, but turning largely dry elsewhere with cloudy skies. Winds strengthening in the south overnight with a chance of coastal gales.
Wednesday:
Rain, cloud and brisk winds move north through the day. Turning drier in the south with some sunshine. Warm in the south by the afternoon, but cold in the north.
Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:
Dry and bright for many on Thursday with just a few showers. Likely becoming unsettled again over the Easter weekend with spells of rain, but some drier interludes too.