Today (Wednesday), many places will see outbreaks of heavy rain and brisk winds during the day, though southeast England will stay dry until after dark.  

A Yellow Warning for rain is in place for southwest England and south Wales until late this evening. 10-20 mm of rain is likely to accumulate quite widely across the warning area, but 40-60 mm is possible over the high ground of Dartmoor and the hills of south Wales. Here, heavy rain, especially over high ground, may lead to travel disruption and flooding.

Rebekah Hicks, Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: “Low-pressure systems will bring further unsettled weather to the UK this week, with strong winds and further heavy rain at times over the next few days.

“Today (Wednesday) brings periods of rain, which will be heavy at times, especially over high ground in the west of Britain. Coming off the back of recent very wet weather, some travel disruption and flooding is likely across parts of southwest England and south Wales. It will also become widely windy throughout the day too, with gales in some coastal areas.”

Further unsettled weather for Thursday 

There will be bright spells in the north to begin Thursday, before heavy rain spreads northwards through the day, with the greatest rainfall accumulations expected to be across south England and south Wales. In addition to the rain, strong winds are expected across similar areas, gusting over 50 mph in exposed coastal areas, which may exacerbate impacts. 

A Yellow Warning for rain is in place on Thursday across southwest England and south Wales. 

A separate Yellow Warning for rain is in place for southern counties of England. 

Driving in Flood Conditions 

If the road is flooded, turn around and find another route. The leading cause of death during flooding is driving through flood water. Just 30 cm of moving water can float a car, and flood water often hides hazards that can damage vehicles. Even a small amount of water entering an engine can cause severe damage. 

Friday and the weekend 

Friday will be a day of sunshine and showers, these heaviest and most frequent in northern areas of the UK, with the chance of hail and thunder in northwest Scotland. Friday brings a brief calmer spell for many, before another low-pressure system arrives.

Tom Crabtree, Deputy Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The weekend ushers in another area of low pressure, which could bring further heavy rain and unsettled conditions.

“Central and eastern areas start off dry and bright, but another band of rain moves in across western parts, which could be heavy at times. With areas like south Wales and the southwest already sensitive to more rainfall, we’ll be monitoring this closely. Keep checking the Met Office forecast for the latest.” 

The Christmas week forecast 

Monday brings further rain at times, especially across some western areas, while the east stays largely dry with some bright or sunny intervals developing. Temperatures will be close to average for most.

Commenting on whether we will have a white Christmas, Tom Crabtree, Deputy Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: “High pressure is expected to build into next week, bringing drier and less mild conditions for the Christmas period. Although temperatures will drop, they are not plummeting. Overnight frosts are likely, and some mist and fog is possible in places, but significant cold weather looks less probable. Falling temperatures do bring the potential for some wintry showers in the east, but it is too early to discern details for any particular day over the Christmas period.”

Keep up to date with the latest forecast for your area using our forecast pages. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Use our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.   

Rain drops on the floor