Amber rain warning issued for parts of Midlands and southern England
The warning will come into force at 6pm on Thursday and last for 12 hours.
Warnings of heavy rain which could cause flooding and travel disruption have been upgraded for parts of England.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for areas of the Midlands and south of the country, set to come into force at 6pm on Thursday and last for 12 hours.
Yellow rain warnings had already been in place for large parts of England and Wales and western parts of Northern Ireland.
Areas affected by the amber warning, including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands, could see 30-40mm of rainfall within three hours, according to the forecaster.
The Met Office said: “Slow moving showers and thunderstorms will develop through the afternoon, merging into a large band of heavy rain through the evening, before clearing slowly south overnight.
“Some places, especially across central and eastern parts of the warning area, are likely to receive 30-40mm in three hours or less, and perhaps 50-60mm or more in around six hours.
“This rain will fall onto already saturated ground and affect communities recovering from recent flooding. Travel disruption and further flooding is likely, with rivers continuing to rise after the rain clears.”
According to the warning, the weather could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and there is a “good chance” some communities will be cut off due to floods.
Delays and cancellations to train and bus services and power cuts are also likely.
Parts of the country saw more than the monthly average rainfall on Monday, with flash flooding damaging homes and disrupting travel.
There were further downpours on Wednesday evening.
Met Office forecaster Paul Gundersen said: “With the rain on Wednesday and Thursday potentially falling on already saturated ground a number of warnings for rain have been issued outlining the increased risks for potential impacts.”
The Environment Agency has 27 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected and 67 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
The rain is expected to clear during Friday leaving conditions much colder on Saturday.
