Storm Claudia, named by the Spanish Meteorological Service due to ongoing impacts in Canary Islands, has resulted in Amber rain warnings in southern and central parts of England and Wales.

Wider yellow warnings have also been issued for rain and wind, in what will be a very wet day for England and Wales. Rain will gradually spread further north through the warning areas on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “Storm Claudia will bring very heavy rainfall to a large swathe of central and southern England and Wales on Friday into Saturday. This rain will become slow moving, and some areas could see up to a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

“Much of this will fall on saturated ground, increasing the chances of flooding and contributing to the Amber warnings we have issued. Within the Amber warning areas, some could see in excess of 150mm accumulate during the event, with 60-80mm fairly widely. Gusty winds in the northwest of England and northwest Wales is an additional hazard, with 60-70mph gusts possible in exposed places within the warning area.”

Warnings highlight likely travel disruption, the possibility of power cuts and flooding for some.

In contrast to many named storms, Claudia won’t directly cross the UK, though it is responsible for the heavy rain on Friday and into Saturday. The system largely maintains its position to the west of the UK, though the associated fronts will weaken through Saturday.

Check your flood risk 

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1. Check if your property is at risk here. If you are at risk, take the next two steps to protect your property when you need to.
2. Prepare a flood plan 
3. Prepare an emergency flood kit

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A colder weekend for all

By the weekend, the north of the UK will be firmly under a colder airmass, with overnight frosts, and while there will still be some showers around, it’ll generally be a much drier and brighter spell of weather here.

Further south, the weekend will start off largely cloudy and wet, and still mild in the far south, but gradually the rain will ease and eventually clear to the south, with the drier, colder conditions further north affecting all parts by the start of next week.   

Into next week, it will initially be noticeably colder everywhere, especially in the north and east, with a brisk northerly wind accentuating the colder feel and bringing the first snow of the season for some.

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