Parts of the UK could see as much as 200mm of rain over the weekend, with communities warned of a danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwaters.
The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for very heavy and persistent rain in Cumbria and in parts of southern and south-west Scotland.
One of the warnings, which covers parts of Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, South Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders, will remain in place from midnight on Saturday until 11.59pm on Sunday.
Much of the area covered by the warning will see 50 to 70mm of rain, but parts of the Galloway Hills and Southern Uplands could see up to 130mm, along with strong and gusty south-westerly winds.
The second amber warning, covering a large area of Cumbria, will be in place from 6am on Sunday to 6pm on Monday.
“During the course of Sunday and Monday, over 100mm of rainfall is expected to accumulate widely across the warning area,” the Met Office sad. “Over 200mm is possible in some locations, particularly in the west of the area.”
Forecasters have warned residents to expect flooding to homes and businesses, power cuts, disruption to transport, and have advised against travelling by road during “potentially dangerous road conditions”.
They said there is a “good chance” some communities could be cut off by flooded roads.
Another amber warning has been issued in Cumbria, running from 6am on Sunday to 6pm on Monday, with the Met Office warning of similar hazards and disruption and
There are also yellow weather warnings for heavy rain covering all of Northern Ireland from Sunday to 6am on Monday, in southwest Scotland until 9am Monday, the North West of England until 6pm Monday, a large area of north and central Wales from 6pm Sunday to 3pm Monday, and South Wales throughout all of Monday.
Marco Petagna, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Really, it’s a very slow moving band (of rain). That’s why we’re going to see those high rainfall totals.
“Over the next few days, we’re looking at 20mm to 70mm towards the north-west of the UK, so one to three inches of rain, fairly widely. In those amber warning areas, we could see 200mm or more,” Mr Petagna added.“So that’s eight inches or more – and yes, obviously, quite likely to give some flooding issues over the next few days.”The Met Office advised residents in affected areas to prepare a flood kit, containing insurance and any other important documents, a torch and spare batteries, a first-aid kit and prescription medicines.The kit should also contain supplies for looking after family members or pets, as well as warm and waterproof clothes, blankets, and food and water, the Met Office said.“It’s not until later Monday, towards the end of Monday, before that front really clears away from the north-west of England,” Mr Petagna said.
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The UK is likely to see mild temperatures of 10C to 13C over the next couple of days, which is three or four degrees above the seasonal average, Mr Petagna added.Though it is expected the weather will settle around Tuesday next week, the respite is likely to be brief with more heavy rain set to come in from the west from Wednesday.“It’s going to be fairly widespread. I think much of the UK will see some wet and windy weather later in the week, again, Mr Petagna added.“But we need to keep an eye on that because there’s potential further warnings might be needed. There is, heading towards Christmas, a hint that things could start to quieten down. But the next week to 10 days look pretty unsettled.”
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