Yellow alert issued for two days of rain as Met Office warns of possible floods

Parts of the UK are being warned of possible flooding this weekend as heavy rain and even thunderstorms hit southeast England.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for heavy rain across most of Kent and East Sussex and into West Sussex on Friday and Saturday.

Up to 40mm of rain – more than 1.5in – could fall in two or three hours in some places, forecasters said.

The warning, which runs from 3pm until noon on Saturday, is for possible flooding and difficult travel conditions as roads will be heavy with spray.

Overall, there may be more than 70mm of rain in that time in the southeast, the Met Office said.

A yellow warning – the least severe under the system of colour codes introduced in 2008 – means there is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.

Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services.

However, there is a fair chance that the heaviest of the rain might stay just offshore, forecasters said. The heaviest rainfall looks like moving away, or at least easing, beyond midday Saturday.

Most of the rest of the UK is set to be dry with warm sunny spells.

Forecaster Annie Shuttleworth said the coming days would have an autumnal, unsettled feel because of a cold front.

“We could see some of that rain turn a bit heavier across the southeast through Saturday and on Friday afternoon there’s a risk of some thunderstorms perhaps,” she said.

A northerly breeze would drag showers down across the country before a dry, cold, clear night on Friday, with the risk of a touch of frost in northern areas.

The far south would continue to experience rain persisting, and for exposed areas it would feel chilly, she said.

The Met Office predicts the south will be dry on Sunday but rain and strong winds will spread across northern areas. The rain is due to clear on Monday.

But it will turn colder early next week as a swath of arctic air surges southwards, and a strong northerly wind will accentuate the chilly feel.

Next month conditions are likely to remain changeable, with further frontal systems spreading from the west and northwest at times, according to the forecasters.