Overview

• The Met Office has active yellow warnings for heavy rain and strong winds across much of Wales, northern and western England, the Midlands and parts of southwest Scotland through tonight.
• Forecasters expect 20–30mm of rain widely with local totals of 60–80mm falling in just a few hours, raising risks of localised flooding and transport disruption.
• Gusts of 50–60mph are possible inland with 65–75mph on exposed coasts, most likely around the Bristol Channel and west Wales this afternoon and evening, then along the North Sea coast overnight.
• Flood risk has escalated with more than 60 flood alerts across England and Wales, several flood warnings in northwest England and one for the Hornsea coast, as high lake levels near Keswick cause ongoing flooding.
• Authorities advise securing loose outdoor items and preparing for outages with torches and power packs, as the system clears east by early Sunday and a markedly cooler northerly flow follows into next week.