An amber weather warning for rain has been issued for parts of Cumbria this weekend.
It has now issued an amber warning for West and south Cumbria from 6am on Sunday until 6pm on Monday.
Our live updates are available here.
Very heavy and persistent rainfall is expected to lead to some flooding and transport disruption.
The Met Office said persistent rainfall across North West England will be particularly heavy over parts of Cumbria.
During the course of Sunday and Monday, over 100mm of rainfall is expected to accumulate widely across the warning area.
Over 200mm is possible in some locations, particularly in the west of the area.
What should I expect?
- Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life
- Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings
- Delays and cancellations to train and bus services are likely
- Spray and flooding will likely lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
- A good chance some communities will be cut off by flooded roads
- Power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses likely
Why should I care about weather warnings?
Weather warnings are issued to let people know what weather is in store for their area and what its impact could be.
The Met Office is the UK’s official weather service and is responsible for issuing weather warnings to the public.
There are three main levels of weather warning:
- Yellow – which asks people to be prepared for disruption
- Amber – which asks people to change plans that could be impacted by the weather and take action to protect themselves and their property
- Red – which is issued for weather that poses a danger to life and asks people to immediately take direct action to keep themselves and others safe from impacts of the weather
Yellow and amber warnings represent a range of impact levels and likelihoods. This means it is important to read each warning to know what level of impact to expect in your local area – and how likely those impacts are to occur.
The Met Office began issuing impact-based warnings in 2011 – which means that warnings are issued when the weather may have an impact on people’s day to day lives.
Previous to this, warnings were issued to the public when certain weather thresholds or levels were reached.
