The Met Office has issued an amber 'danger to life' warning for rain across parts of Scotland, as the UK braces for heavy rainfall and potential flooding. Up to 150mm of rain is forecast in some areas, with the amber warning in effect from midnight until 6pm on Thursday, January 22.
Forecasters warn that homes and businesses in the affected areas are 'likely to be flooded', with floodwater posing a risk to life. A yellow rain warning is also in place for wider parts of Scotland from 6pm on Wednesday until 11:59pm on Friday.
Elsewhere, yellow warnings have been issued for southwest England and south Wales, where 5 to 15mm of rain is expected widely, with up to 20mm in some places. This may lead to flooding and disruption to road and rail travel.
Met Office Chief Forecaster Dan Harris said: 'Rain will turn increasingly persistent and heavy late on Wednesday and through much of Thursday for parts of Scotland... Within the Amber warning area, some areas of high ground exposed to the strong southeasterly wind are likely to see in excess of 100mm of rain.' He added that flooding is expected, with some rivers responding slowly, leading to ongoing impacts.
The Environment Agency has issued 10 flood warnings and over 131 flood alerts across England as of Thursday morning, indicating where flooding is expected or possible.
