More than half a month’s rain could fall in parts of south-west England and Wales, with wet and windy weather forecast into this week.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain spanning from the Isles of Scilly inland to Gloucester, north to Bangor, as well as to St David’s in Pembrokeshire.
For 24 hours from 6pm on Monday, outbreaks of rain will become persistent and heavy, the forecaster said. Up to 40mm of rainfall is expected in some areas, with 60 to 80mm of rain over Dartmoor and high ground in south Wales, which could amount to more than half the average monthly rainfall in December.
No snow is currently expected, with temperatures remaining mild across the UK throughout the week.
A yellow weather warning for wind is also in place, spanning the west of the country from the Isles of Scilly to Holyhead, from 10pm on Monday to 4pm on Tuesday. It overlaps some locations covered by the yellow rain warning.
Tuesday also sees a yellow warning for rain issued in the north of England, spanning from northern parts of Greater Manchester to Allendale. It pushes west to Whitehaven and Lancaster and east to Ripon and Spennymoor, and is in force from midnight to 3pm on Tuesday.
At 3pm on Tuesday, a warning for wind will be in place for north-west Scotland. It will be in place until 10am on Wednesday.
The Met Office said in a statement: “After a showery start on Monday, an area of low pressure approaching from the North Atlantic will bring heavy rain and strong winds from late Monday into Tuesday. Yellow warnings for rain and wind are in place for parts of Wales, southern and south-west England, northern England, and western Scotland.”
The Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley added: “Whilst there is some uncertainty as to the exact track and intensity of the area of low pressure as it passes close to western Scotland later on Tuesday, many parts of the UK are likely to see spells of rain which, given saturated ground, could lead to flooding and delays to road and rail travel.
“In addition, strong winds are expected, particularly in northern and western areas. We are closely monitoring developments and may issue updates to the warnings as the situation evolves.”
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.
