Wales, the Midlands, the south-west, south-east, and eastern England
The Met Office has issued amber warnings as Storm Claudia is set to bring torrential rain to parts of England and Wales on Friday.
The warnings, in effect from noon until the end of the day, cover Wales, the Midlands, the south-west, south-east, and eastern England. Some areas in England could see up to 80mm of rain, while higher ground in Wales may receive 100-150mm, with 50-75mm expected more broadly across the region, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Forecasters warned that strong easterly winds and thunderstorms later in the day could exacerbate the impact of the heavy rainfall.
Storm Claudia, named by the Spanish Meteorological Agency, has already brought heavy rain and strong winds to Spain and Portugal.
A separate and existing yellow warning for rain covers much of England, from Cheshire and North Yorkshire to the south coast, for a 24-hour period from 6am on Friday, and a warning for winds of up to 70mph in some western areas of the UK is in place from noon until midnight.
The Met Office said there could be power cuts, travel disruption and damage to buildings.
Travellers are urged to be cautious as a large swath of central and southern England and Wales on Friday into Saturday will be soaked.
The slow-moving downpours mean some areas could have up to a month's worth of rain in 24 hours, according to the Met Office chief meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert.
He added: "Much of this will fall on saturated ground, increasing the chances of flooding and contributing to the amber warnings we have issued. Within the amber warning areas, some could see in excess of 150mm accumulate during the event, with 60-80mm fairly widely.
"Gusty winds in the north-west of England and north-west Wales is an additional hazard, with 60-70mph gusts possible in exposed places within the warning area."
Unlike many named storms, Claudia is not expected to directly cross the country, and instead will maintain its position in the west, the Met Office said.
The Environment Agency said there could be some surface water and river flooding in the north of England. It said it had been working with emergency services and local authorities to ensure they were fully prepared for when the storm hits on Friday.
The flood duty manager, Ben Lukey, said: "Storm Claudia will bring heavy prolonged rainfall across parts of England, with significant surface water flooding probable across parts of central England on Friday. River flooding impacts are also possible tomorrow and into Saturday."
News.Az