Storm tracker LIVE: Met Office issues rare 12-hour amber warning | Weather | News

The Met Office has issued a severe yellow warning as heavy rain pours across areas in the Midlands and south of the country, potentially causing flooding for millions of people.

The new warning came into effect at 6pm on Thursday and will last for 12 hours. Yellow rain warnings were already in effect for large parts of England and Wales as well as western parts of Northern Ireland.

Areas affected by the yellow warning – including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands – could see 30 to 40mm of rain fall within three hours, the meteorologist said.

The Met Office uses a yellow, amber and red traffic light system, with the latter being the most extreme. This is the first time a yellow warning for flooding and heavy rain has been issued this autumn.

Parts of Hitchin have been hit by flooding and North Herts Police confirmed the closure of Cambridge Road in the town center. Parts of Solihull were also hit, with West Midlands Railway warning of disruption and cancellations.

As of 7pm, the Environment Agency had 39 flood warnings in force across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 110 flood warnings, meaning flooding is possible.

The areas most at risk are Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organization (Toro) also predicts that lightning, winds of up to 50 mph and even “isolated brief tornadoes” could occur across much of the Southeast. This includes large parts of East Anglia, the south-east Midlands and central southern England.

The Met Office said: “This rain will fall on already saturated ground and impact communities recovering from recent flooding. Traffic disruptions and further flooding are expected as rivers continue to rise after the rain eases.”

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