Forecasters have warned of a “danger to life” from fast-flowing rivers as heavy rain and flooding are predicted to hit parts of the UK this weekend.
Yellow weather warnings for rain have been issued by the Met Office for the west of Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of western Wales, and northwest England, with Scotland’s alert until Sunday and the rest until Monday.
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A more serious amber warning will be in effect in Cumbria from 6am on Sunday to 6pm on Monday, where the agency said more than 200mm of rain “is possible in some locations”.
The Met Office said “fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life”, and “homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings”.
Jonathan Day, Environment Agency flood duty manager, said the likely heavy rain in Cumbria “means significant river and surface water flooding impacts are probable” and “are also possible more widely”.
He added that the agency’s teams “are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and support those communities affected”.
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“We urge people not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car,” he also said.
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Floods minister Emma Hardy also urged people in affected areas to follow local advice, sign up for flood warnings, and stay up to date with the latest information.
According to the Met Office, some areas of northwest England will continue to see showers until late Monday afternoon, while elsewhere, the southern half of the UK will be dry and bright, with much lighter winds.
Cloudless skies, patches of frost, mist and fog are expected in the south of England on Saturday morning, and Sunday is set to stay dry for many.
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There will be more clouds, followed by the band of rain, slowly moving southeast through Sunday night and into Monday.
Sky’s weather producer Kirsty McCabe reports that the “unsettled and mostly mild theme will continue for a while yet, but southern parts could escape with a mainly fine weekend”.
She said: “It’ll be windy in the north too, with coastal gales likely, locally severe. Temperatures will be mostly above average, but where skies remain clear overnight, frost and fog are possible.”
Ms McCabe also noted that “high pressure is likely to build in the run up to Christmas – so it could be colder, drier and more settled”.
