Storm Dennis: Weather warnings issued with more heavy rain and wind on the way

More heavy rain and strong winds are on the way this weekend, with warnings that Storm Dennis could cause travel disruption and flooding in some areas.

A series of weather warnings have been issued covering from Saturday morning through until Sunday afternoon have been issued by the Met Office.

Locally gusts are forecast to peak at around 45mph with heavy rainfall throughout the two days..

Some parts of Wales have also been issued with an amber weather warning, with the Met Office extending its forecast to cover the “high ground of north Wales.”

Large parts of mid and south Wales are also included, along with separate warnings in place across England.

The Met Office forecast that the higher ground of Wales could see 100-120 mm of rain and gusts of between 60-70 mph across coastal areas.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “Storm Dennis will bring another very unsettled spell of weather this weekend with a risk of flooding, particularly in parts of England and Wales and also southern Scotland, where snowmelt will add to the flood risk.

“Following Storm Ciara last weekend and further spells of rain this week, the ground is already saturated in places.

“With Storm Dennis bringing further heavy and persistent rain over the weekend, there is a risk of significant impacts from flooding, including damage to property and a danger to life from fast flowing floodwater.

“Our advice is to keep an eye on the latest weather forecast and weather warnings for your area and to follow the safety advice from officials.”

Rail users are also being urged to check for any timetable changes this weekend before travelling.

Martyn Brennan, operations director for TfW Rail and Chris Pearce, Network Rail’s head of operations delivery for Wales and Borders said: “This Saturday will see Storm Dennis, bringing winds of up to 60mph, extremely heavy rain and a potential flooding risk around our network.

“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our first priority and as a result there will be speed restrictions in place across our network, on Saturday, and some areas will see a reduced service running.

“We expect to see extremely heavy rainfall on areas already affected by Storm Ciara last week and are preparing extensively for this.

“We will be working closely together to keep our customers moving however there are likely to be some short notice amendments on both Saturday and Sunday and we encourage all customers to check journey planning websites prior to travel.