Storm Christoph will bring persistent and heavy rain between Tuesday and Thursday this week which could lead to flooding in some areas.
The Met office have issued an Amber National Severe Weather Warning for rain for parts of northern, central and eastern England. Separate Yellow warnings for rain cover Northern Ireland, Wales, southern Scotland and the rest of England.
Chief Meteorologist Dan Suri, said “Following a cold spell where the main hazard was snow, our focus now turns to notably heavy rain moving across the UK this week. Some locations could see over 100mm of rain falling through the course just a couple of days with up to 200mm possible over higher ground. These amounts of rainfall along with snow melt present a real threat of flooding and people should keep a close eye on flood warnings from the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.
“As the system moves away into the North Sea Wednesday night and Thursday morning there will be strong winds along the east coast for a time. Meanwhile, colder air coming southwards into the weather system brings the risk of further snow on the back edge of this system. Temperatures will gradually fall across the UK through the end of the week and into the weekend bringing a return to widespread overnight frosts.”
Forecast
Tonight will be breezy and some heavy rain is likely during the first part of the night. Rain will ease in the early hours but it will remain cloudy. Winds will strengthen towards dawn.
Tuesday
Tomorrow will be a wet and windy day. Some strong gusts are likely in places. Further outbreaks of rain will spread from the west, these prolonged and rather heavy through the afternoon and evening.
Outlook for Wednesday to Friday
Remaining mild, wet and windy into Wednesday with heavy rain looking to persist for much of the day. Rain continuing into the evening, before clearing in the early hours. Turning cold into Thursday and remaining windy. Some wintry sunshine is expected but also a few showers, possibly turning wintry over the hills. Friday will be cold but with sunny spells.
Weather Warning From 00:00 GMT on Tue 19 January To 12:00 GMT on Thu 21 January
Spells of prolonged and heavy rain may lead to flooding and disruption to travel in places.
– Homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings
– Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life
– Delays or cancellations to train and bus services are possible
– Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
– Some communities may be cut off by flooded roads
– Possible power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses
