UK weather forecast: ‘Danger to life’ warnings issued as heavy rain brings flooding and transport disruption

Floods caused by heavy rain could pose a “danger to life” across Wales and northern England this weekend, the Met Office has warned.

Damage to homes and businesses is expected, with disruption to transport and power cuts also likely, said forecasters, who have issued widespread yellow weather alerts for Saturday.

A warning in place across much of north England and most of Wales and the Midlands said ”fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life”. A separate alert for southwest England said flooding of properties was “likely”.

Libanus, in the Brecon Beacons, has been deluged by 93mm of rain over the last 24 hours. The South Wales village saw nearly a month’s average rainfall on Friday.

Buildings close to rivers are particularly at risk of flooding, with some homes near the Welsh-English border already affected on Saturday morning, according to the Environment Agency.

Transport for Wales advised against travel, with severe flooding on roads and railways leaving buses and trains running “extremely limited” operation across much of the country.

Despite the wet weather in the south of the UK, temperatures were fairly mild, with highs of 18C expected along the coast, the Met Office said.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are set to see a respite from the recent spate of wet weather with some sunshine and clearer skies, albeit lower temperatures due to the lack of cloud cover.

The heavy southern downpour is set to continue until early on Sunday morning, before clearer skies gradually push southwards from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“After a chilly start, [Sunday is] looking like a much better day for England and Wales, with lots of sunshine throughout the day,” said Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst. “For Scotland and Northern Ireland, it’s almost a repeat performance, so with sunny spells and scattered showers.

“It should be cooler in the south, but they’re compensated with more sun, so it’ll probably feel quite nice in that autumnal sunshine.”

Despite a clearer day forecasted on Sunday, the government has issued a five-day flood warning for both England and Wales until 29 October.

The Environment Agency currently has 24 flood warnings in place, and a further 141 alerts spread across England, from Cornwall to North Yorkshire.