The South West is bracing for yet another day of torrential rain and strong winds. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the region later today, Monday, October 7 after a number of recent weather warnings.
The warning is in place from 4pm today until 11.59pm. The Devon-based forecasters predict that some places within the warning will be hit the worst but there will be widespread disruption later today.
There is likely to be heavy showers during the thunderstorms which may cause major travel disruption. Some homes and businesses may flood after heavy rain too.
Damage to buildings may occur due to lightning strikes, hail and strong wind. Places along the coast will likely see the worst of the damage.
Some places will face up to 30mm of rain in just three hours, with some areas seeing up to 40mm. The Met Office has said that thunderstorms are most likely for south-facing coastal districts, and hail and some strong gusts of wind could accompany the heaviest showers and thunderstorms.
The Met Office’s impact matrix guide predicts that this evening’s thunderstorms are highly likely but have a medium impact. The warning covers much of the South West, and South Wales over to the South East.
Locals are being warned to brace themselves for:
- There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus
- Some flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible
- Some short term loss of power and other services is possible
- Delays to train services are possible
- Perhaps damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes, hail or gusty winds, this most likely close to coasts.
There is currently a flood alert for the Upper Bristol Avon area. The Environment Agency (EA) has issued the alert and told locals in the area to be prepared for flash floods.
While river levels are falling, the EA said that there is still the possibility of flooding today. While there is no warning in place, after the recent heavy rain and floods people should be prepared for the situation to change.