'Danger to life' warning for Brits as heavy rain set to drench parts of the UK in washout weekend

6 October 2023, 13:21

Forecasters have issued a "danger to life" warning for parts of the UK this weekend because of heavy rain for some.

Amber weather warnings are in place for parts of central Scotland on Saturday and Sunday.

The Met Office said that "prolonged heavy rain" was expected to cause "widespread disruption". Homes and businesses could be flooded and damaged, with danger to life from fast floodwater, the forecasters said.

Trains and buses could be cancelled and delayed, flooding could force road closures and make for difficult driving conditions elsewhere.

Some communities could be "cut off" and there could be power cuts, according to the Met Office.

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A wider area of Scotland also has a milder, yellow, warning for rain over the weekend. Manchester will also be very wet.

The wet weather over the weekend in Scotland and Manchester comes in contrast to the over-20C temperatures and sunny skies expected for London and the south-east.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: "Rain is expected to develop across many parts of Scotland during Friday afternoon but is likely to persist through much of Saturday into Sunday morning before gradually easing.

"There remains some uncertainty in the longevity and amount of rainfall, particularly across northeast Scotland and eastern portions of the Central Belt.

"However, there is an increasing likelihood of some low lying areas seeing 50-75 mm of rain whilst over higher ground 100-150 mm is possible, perhaps in excess of this in a few locations across western Scotland."

It comes as forecast from the Met Office predicts it could reach as high as 27C in parts of London and the south east.

“The jet stream is going to push its way northwards ahead of the weekend, allowing for some very warm air to come in from the south,” the Met Office's meteorologist Alex Burkill said.

“As we go into the weekend frontal systems will remain trailing across Scotland as this warm air moves into the south.

“By Sunday, it’ll be a more widely dry and sunny day for many. Highs of around 26C or even 27C in isolated spots are possible,” Mr Burkill added.

The warmer weather is likely to end as we approach the end of the month into November.