Yellow weather warning as more than half a month’s rain could fall in 24 hours

A wet weather warning has been issued as more than half a month’s rain could fall in parts of south-west England and Wales.

Wet and windy weather is forecast for the weekend and until Tuesday.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the region spanning from the Isles of Scilly up to Gloucester, and west to St David’s in Pembrokeshire.

For 24 hours from 6pm on Monday, outbreaks of rain will become persistent and heavy, the forecaster said, with up to 40mm of rainfall in some areas and 60-80mm of rain over Dartmoor and high ground in south Wales, which could amount to more than half the average monthly rainfall in December.

More than a dozen flood warnings remained in place on Saturday for England, with nine in Scotland and two in Wales.

Gusts of up to 40mph hit parts of the south coast overnight into Saturday, with firefighters in Seaford, East Sussex, called to reports that a garage roof and door had become detached in the high winds.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said its crews were called to Victor Close after 6am and were working to make several homes safe.

Temperatures are expected to remain mild on Saturday and Sunday, but gusty winds and further rainfall are set to persist, with heavy downpours more likely in south Wales, south-west England and Cumbria.

Rain in south Wales and south-west England on saturated ground could lead to difficult travel conditions, the Met Office warned.

Northern Ireland, north-east England and south-east Scotland have the best chance of drier weather this weekend.

Another band of rain is forecast to make its way across the country in a north-easterly direction on Sunday with persistent spells likely in northern areas.

The Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: “A deepening area of low pressure will approach the UK from the south-west later on Monday, bringing with it heavy rain and strong winds, which are likely to affect the UK between late Monday and early Wednesday.

“At present, the exact track, depth, and timings of this low are uncertain, which makes it harder to determine where will be most impacted by strong winds and/or heavy rain.

“This system has the potential to cause disruption, and severe weather warnings are likely to be issued over the weekend as details become clearer. We therefore urge people to keep up-to-date with the latest Met Office forecast.”

The Met Office forecast for the rest of December remains unsettled with further periods of low pressure predicted.

Meteorologists said it is too early to provide an accurate forecast for the Christmas period.