Storm Babet will bring a period of very wet weather to parts of eastern England, southern Scotland and the Pennines later this week.
Heavy rain will move into the west of the UK on Tuesday evening as Storm Babet brings increasingly wet and windy weather. The rain will spread more widely across the UK on Wednesday bringing heavy downpours to most parts through the day.
As the rain moves northwards it will stall across central and eastern parts of Scotland where the rain will become heavy and persistent from Thursday through to Saturday. There is a Severe Weather Warning for rain for this area where up to 150-200 mm of rain could accumulate in some areas of higher ground.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Steven Keates said: “Storm Babet will bring impactful rain to many parts of the UK, but especially parts of eastern Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England later this week. Heavy and persistent rain will fall onto already saturated ground bringing a risk of flooding. It is important to stay up to date with warnings from your local flood warning agency as well as the local authorities.
“As well as heavy rain, Storm Babet will bring some very strong winds and large waves near some eastern coasts too. Gusts in excess of 60mph are possible in eastern and northern Scotland from Thursday. It is likely Met Office warnings will be updated through the week.”
The Met Office has issued a heavy rain warning for the region from Wednesday 18 October at 9 pm until Saturday at 6 am.
The warning details:
‘While there is still some uncertainty in the details, there is the potential for periods of very heavy, possibly disruptive rainfall to develop on Thursday and perhaps continue into Saturday, although at times through this period, the rain may ease.
‘The heaviest rainfall is likely to be across high ground in this region, although even some low lying more populated areas are likely to see some heavy rainfall also.
‘Widely 20-40 mm of rain is likely to fall, but some upland areas of northern England and southern Scotland could see as much as 70-100 mm of rain. The rain may also be accompanied by some very strong southeasterly winds at times, which could exacerbate impacts.’
David Morgan, Flood Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “Storm Babet will bring heavy rain and high winds across Scotland from Wednesday evening, starting in the South West before moving across to the North East through Thursday and into the weekend.
“Impacts from surface water and rivers are likely, and with catchments saturated from recent heavy rain and flooding, we’re urging people to be prepared for potential flooding. There is also concern that surface water flooding may be exacerbated by debris blocking drainage, culverts, etc. as a result of the high winds.
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