Met Office issues ‘danger to life’ amber warning for heavy rain and floods in Wales

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for heavy rain and deep floodwater that could cause “danger to life” in parts of Wales.

The warning covers south and mid-Wales from Newport to Carmarthen and north to Brecon between 3pm on Sunday and 6am on Monday.

The Met Office said heavy rain was “likely to cause some flooding and disruption later today and overnight into Monday”.

It added that “fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life”, as well as possible “delays and some cancellations to train and bus services”.

Cut off

The weather service said there was a “good chance some communities will be cut off by flooded roads” and “homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings”.

National Resources Wales has four flood alerts in place on Sunday morning, for the Rivers Bran and Gwydder, the Lower and Upper Towy, and River Cothi and has raised the flood risk from low to medium for Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan.

The Met Office said earlier in the weekend that the UK was expected to see “severe weather” on Sunday, with yellow warnings issued for wind and rain before conditions improve next week.

Rain

A yellow weather warning for rain came into force in the early hours of Sunday for parts of England, Scotland, and Wales, while the south-west of England is expected to be hit by showers from midday.

There is also a yellow warning for wind in place for Northern Ireland from 3am to 3pm on Sunday, and one for Scotland, Wales, and the north-east and west of England from 6am to 6pm on Sunday.

The severe weather is expected to ease on Sunday night, with conditions to improve in the following days.

Zoe Hutin, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said there was “quite severe weather coming in from the west” with “very strong winds” and Sunday looked “to be the worst day in the coming few days”.