BRITS are braced for rainy conditions as Storm Claudia batters the country with the Met Office warning of six inches of rain and flooding in some areas.
The storm will bring lashing rain for much of England and Wales today and into early Saturday, with Amber warnings issued by the Met Office.
The rain will spread north as the storm rolls over the island followed closely by wave of freezing air.
Some areas are facing up to 150mm (six inches) of rain with the amber warning in place from noon until the end of the day on Friday.
The warning is in place from noon until the end of the day, and covers parts of Wales, the Midlands, the South West, South East and East of England.
Claudia could result in travel disruptions, power cuts, and flooding, according to the Met Office.
Disruption has already been reported across the UK’s rail network, with flooding closing rail lines connecting Exeter St Davids, delays and cancellations to Avanti West Coast services and speed restrictions across some ScotRail routes.
TransPennine, Chiltern, London Northwestern and West Midlands services, with travellers urged to check before they travel.
Rainy conditions are set to be “exacerbated” by strong easterly winds, as well as thunderstorms later today, with the Met Office announcing a yellow rain warning is now in force across much of central and southern England and Wales.
While Storm Claudia won’t directly cross the UK, it is responsible for the heavy rain on Friday and into Saturday.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “Storm Claudia will bring very heavy rainfall to a large swathe of central and southern England and Wales on Friday into Saturday.
“This rain will become slow-moving, and some areas could see up to a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.”
He added: “Much of this will fall on saturated ground, increasing the chances of flooding and contributing to the amber warnings we have issued.
“Within the amber warning areas, some could see in excess of 150mm accumulate during the event, with 60-80mm fairly widely.
“Gusty winds in the north-west of England and north-west Wales is an additional hazard, with 60-70mph gusts possible in exposed places within the warning area.”
By the weekend the entirety of the UK will be much colder and wetter as winter gets well and truly underway.
Heavy rainfall is expected, particularly in the west, with temperatures beginning to plummet and amber weather warnings issued.
In southern England Storm Claudia is expected to bring flooding, power cuts and travel disruption for many, the Met Office warns.
Into next week it will become noticeably colder across the whole country as the rainy weekend draws to a close, the Met Office predicts.
Some northern regions will likely see temperatures plummet to a brisk -1C as chilly winds blow in from the west.
The chill is expected to bring the first snow of the season for some parts of the UK, according to the Met Office.
