Met Office issues urgent 'danger to life' weather warning as UK to be battered by storms

The Met Office has issued an amber heavy rain weather warning with flooding expected to endanger life and spark travel chaos for the next 24 hours. The warning applies to a huge swathe of the UK, including Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North West England and parts of Wales.

A yellow warning for rain is in place for the north of England, the Midlands and north and mid Wales until 6am on Thursday (May 23), with the southern edges of the affected area running from around Norwich to Bath.

Another yellow rain warning comes into place at noon on Wednesday (May 22) for Scotland, covering the south and east of the country, which runs until 6pm on Thursday.

A further yellow warning for thunderstorms has been added for much of the south coast of England from 8am to 7pm on Wednesday.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "Some areas are really going to see a lot of heavy, persistent rain through a big chunk of Wednesday. It is going to be a pretty wet picture as we go through the rest of the week for many places.

"There is some uncertainty as to exactly where we are going to see the heaviest rain and where is most likely to be impacted."

The forecast says heavy and, in places, prolonged rainfall is expected from an area of low pressure arriving from the east, having already brought downpours to parts of central Europe.

Many places could see 30-40mm of rain, while a few areas may receive 60-80mm as heavy rain moves northwards throughout Wednesday. The Met Office said there is a small chance a few upland areas could see up to 150mm, most likely across Snowdonia and parts of north Wales.

In addition to the thunderstorm warning, which also includes scattered showers and the threat of spray on the roads and sudden flooding, the south of England could see heavy, thundery showers which could bring 30-40mm within three hours.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "The precise track of the low pressure which would determine where the rainfall comes is still uncertain and is something we are keeping an eye on.

"We would encourage people to keep an eye on the forecast over the next couple of days to see how that evolves."

Chief meteorologist Andy Page said areas exposed to the strengthening northerly winds are most likely to see the highest rainfall.

Northern areas are expected to remain cloudy and wet on Thursday but drier further south with brighter conditions becoming more widespread by the end of the week.

The amber warning says rain will be heavy and persistent in Derbyshire, Blackburn, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham, Yorkshire & Humber and West Yorkshire.

It warns heavy and persistent rain will make driving conditions difficult with fast flowing or deep floodwater likely to cause a danger to life. Some communities may be cut off, while cancellations and delays will affect public transport. The Met Office warns of power cuts too.

The first yellow warning, which is in force until 6am on Thursday, applies to Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, London, Oxfordshire, Tyneside, Northumberland, Blackburn, Blackpool, Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Warrington.

Also included are: Bath and North Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Powys, Wrexham, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire, Yorkshire & Humber, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and York.

This warning says some communities may be cut off, flooding could cause difficult driving conditions, buildings may be damaged and public transport delayed, with deep, fast flowing floodwater posing a danger to life.

The yellow weather warning covers these parts of Scotland: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Grampian, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands & Eilean Siar, Lothian Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian, Strathclyde, Argyll and Butex, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

It warns of a slight chance of power cuts, a small chance buildings could be damaged, slight chance of public transport delays, possibly difficult driving conditions and a small risk of floodwater posing a danger to life.

The third yellow warning for thunderstorms applies from 8am to 7pm on Wednesday. It covers parts of East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, Dorset, Devon and Somerset.

It says spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures. Where flooding or lightning strikes happen there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

There is also a slight chance of power cuts with further services to some homes and businesses possibly being lost.