The Met Office has issued an urgent weather alert across five parts of the UK, with warnings that fast-flowing floodwater could cause a ‘danger to life’ over the coming week.
Up to 70mm of rain is expected to fall across the country overnight, with torrential rain expected to last from 6pm Monday until 3am Tuesday morning.
A yellow weather alert, which warns of ‘persistent and heavy rain’ is set to cover large swathes of southern England and Wales, with areas such as Dartmoor and Exmoor set to be among the worst affected.
In England, other affected areas include Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Somerset, Southampton, Swindon, Wokingham, and Wiltshire.
Meanwhile, areas in Wales affected by the downpour include Bridgend, Cardiff, Monmouthshire, Newport, Pembrokeshire, and Swansea.
Three areas in Scotland are also set to be heavily affected, with the Met Office warning that ‘homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings’.
‘Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures,’ they added.
A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘Most of the warning area will see 20-40 mm of rain, with as much as 60-70 mm possible for some areas, for example Dartmoor and Exmoor. Rain should ease from the south during the night, clearing to scattered showers by morning.’
The heavy rain will continue to move northeastwards throughout Tuesday, with some skies brightening in the south while others will remain stuck with heavy sporadic showers.
Weather will remain unsettled throughout Wednesday, with further outbreaks of rain expected on Thursday, intermingled with some sunny spells.
Similar forecasts are predicted on Friday with temperatures expected to rise slightly in the sunshine as things continue to turn drier from the west.
A forecast said: ‘A chance for some warmer spells especially in the east or southeast at first, as southerly winds pull warmer air up from the continent with temperatures likely above average for a time.
‘While eastern parts see settled conditions, western parts are likely to still see some unsettled spells and closer to average temperatures.’
What will the weather be like at Wimbledon?
All of this is looking like bad news for tennis fans, with the wet weather set to cause further disruptions to Wimbledon.
BBC weather has reported a 60% chance of rain in the area between 12-5pm tomorrow, with the broadcaster predicting light rain and winds of up to 20mph.
This is exepected to clear up on Wednesday, although there is still a chance of light showers throughout the afternoon.
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