Flood warnings issued across Wales amid ‘persistent heavy rain’

Some homes and businesses could be flooded in parts of Wales on Tuesday, forecasters have warned.

The Met Office has issued three yellow warnings for “persistent heavy rain” throughout the day, covering much of Wales and north-west England.

Two yellow rain warnings – one stretching from Cardiff to Bangor and another covering Lancashire and southern Cumbria – will remain in place until 8pm.

A third yellow rain warning over western Wales is in place until 10am.

The Met Office has said “some disruption” is expected in these areas, including “flooding of a few homes and businesses”, “spray” on the roads, increased journey times on public transport, and “possible” power cuts.

Natural Resources Wales has issued 20 flood alerts across the same areas covered by the Met Office warnings.

Meteorologist Alex Deakin described the overall forecast for Tuesday as “a rather dull and damp affair” featuring “gusty winds”.

But he added that it will be “milder than Monday”, with temperatures in the double digits for much of the UK.

Mr Deakin said: “The rain will be spreading its way through eastern England and then through Scotland.

“There will be heavy and persistent rain for north-west England and parts of Wales, and, because it has been so wet recently, this extra rain could cause some issues, so we do have Met Office yellow warnings in place.”

Wet and windy weather

He added: “For many it will feel milder than Monday, but there is more wet and windy weather to come through the evening across Wales and western parts of England.

“Rapidly that band of rain should sweep across England and Wales, leaving clearer skies for a time but also plenty of showers coming in.”

Temperatures are expected to reach 13C (55.4F) in Cardiff and Belfast, 12C (53.6F) in London, and 11C (51.8F) in Edinburgh.

More than 140 flood warnings have also been issued across Britain by environment regulators, because saturated ground caused by recent wet weather means that even areas which avoid the worst of Tuesday’s deluge could be at risk of flooding.

The Environment Agency, which covers England, has issued 29 warnings, mostly clustered in Dorset where flooding is “expected”, along with 90 alerts across the country, where flooding is “possible”.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issue five flood alerts across south-west Scotland, covering Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Arran, Central Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway, and West Central Scotland.