The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for parts of Wales with heavy rain expected to cause flooding and disruption – and up to 120mm of rain could fall in 24 hours
A month’s worth of rainfall is poised to batter the country as the Met Office has issued an amber weather warning. The catastrophic conditions are expected to persist as meteorologists forecast torrential downpours to kick off December.
An amber weather warning has been put in place for sections of Wales, whilst yellow weather warnings are spread across the remainder of the UK, with heavy rainfall likely to cause significant disruption.
The Met Office has advised the public to brace for flooding as the weather warning comes into effect at midnight on Monday, December 1 and remains active throughout the day.
Marco Petagna, senior meteorologist at the Met Office, has indicated that an entire month’s rainfall could descend in merely 24 hours as deluges are anticipated nationwide, reports The Independent, reports the Mirror.
Speaking on Sunday, Petagna stated: “Later today, we’ll start to see some wet and windy weather coming in from the west, and then for a very unsettled day for most parts of the UK going into tomorrow, particularly western parts of England, Wales and southwest Scotland as well.
“We could see up to 120mm of rain, so almost five inches of rain in a few places, that’s on top of what’s been a pretty wet month already. We’re likely to see flooding issues, particularly across South Wales, through tomorrow.”
Alongside the deluge comes widespread chaos, with inundation and transport mayhem looming.
The Met Office warns that routes may be forced to shut, with bus and rail services facing potential cancellation. The heaviest downpours are forecast to hit south Wales between late Sunday and late Monday.
While rainfall amounts will vary, persistent rain is expected, increasing the risk of landslides on both natural and infrastructure slopes.
Some travel firms have already taken measures in response to the wet conditions, with ScotRail imposing speed restrictions on certain routes in anticipation of the rainfall. Alongside the amber warning, other areas in Scotland and England have been issued a yellow warning for rain.
In these regions, spray and flooding could result in challenging driving conditions, with some roads likely to close. The forecaster also warns that power cuts may occur.
It’s recommended to prepare a flood kit ahead of the deluge to be ready for all eventualities.
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