More rain to hit UK this week as Met Office issues fresh weather warnings

The UK is set for more wet weather later in the week as fresh weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office.

With heavy showers arriving overnight on Wednesday, a yellow weather warning will come into force for London and south-east England, south-west England, Wales and the West Midlands from 5am and will remain in place until midnight.

The wet conditions are expected to cause surface water flooding in some areas and result in travel delays. The forecaster said around 10 to 20mm of rain is expected fall widely by the end of Thursday, with a few spots seeing more than 30mm.

In Central, Tayside and Fife and Grampian, a warning is in place until midday on Thursday, with spells of heavy rain and melting snow due to bring disruption.

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A warning for northern and eastern Scotland is in force until 3pm on Wednesday, as periods of sleet and snow and strong winds could lead to blizzard conditions.

The Met Office has warned of dangerous driving conditions, and said some roads and railways are likely to be affected.

Up to 3cm of snow is expected on ground above 100m. At low levels, precipitation will be a mix of snow, sleet, and rain, which could lead to small amounts of snow in some areas, Met Office said.

The unsettled weather comes in the aftermath of Storm Chandra, which brought record-breaking rainfall to several areas in the UK.

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Provisional Met Office statistics show that Northern Ireland experienced its wettest January in 149 years, while southern England also recorded its sixth-wettest January since records began in 1836.

Met Office science manager Dr Amy Doherty said: “January has been exceptionally wet because we’ve seen a very persistent Atlantic weather pattern. A strong jet stream has repeatedly steered low-pressure systems towards the UK, bringing frequent spells of rain and wind.

“With little opportunity for drier conditions in between, the ground has become saturated, so even moderate rainfall has had a greater impact. This succession of Atlantic systems is the main reason rainfall totals this month are well above average for many areas.”

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Cloudy with rain confined to Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with snow on higher hills. Drier further south with some breaks in the cloud across southern counties, leading to some sunny spells. Not as cold as Tuesday.

Turning cloudier once again as rain continues for Scotland with hill snow again in the East. More rain moves into the South overnight as winds pick up for many.

Rain moves northwards through the day, turning heavy in places and again, possible snow across north Wales, the Pennines and Scottish mountains. Winds staying strong in the North. Average temperatures.

Wintry hazards continuing for the northern half of the UK, with outbreaks of rain in the South. Some drier spells on Saturday, but remaining mostly cloudy into the weekend.