The Met Office has issued a 51-hour weather warning for parts of England and Wales, with heavy rain and thunderstorms expected to cause flooding and travel disruption from Wednesday evening through Friday night.
The yellow warning comes into effect at 9pm on Wednesday 4 September and lasts until 11:59pm on Friday 6 September. Affected regions include Wales, South West England, South East England, the West Midlands, East of England, and London on Thursday, expanding to the entire south coast, West Country, Cardiff, Home Counties, and southern Midlands on Friday.
The Met Office warned that while some areas may escape the worst, heavy rain will become more extensive from Wednesday night, particularly on Thursday, bringing a risk of flooding. Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures, with a small chance of homes and businesses being flooded and delays to train and bus services.
Forecasters said showers would merge into longer spells of rain in the south, with a risk of thunder, while northern areas remain drier. New weather maps from WXCharts show downpours affecting cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Cardiff from around 9am on Thursday.
Looking ahead to next week, the Met Office expects drier conditions in Scotland and Northern Ireland from Sunday, with a trend toward cooler northerly flow and occasional showers or rain in the north and south.
