Storm tracker LIVE: Met Office issues rare 12-hour amber warning with millions on alert

National Rail said: “Heavy rain flooding the railway in the Wellington area means all lines are blocked.

“As a result of this, trains between Shrewsbury and Craven Arms / Wolverhampton may be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.”

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer advice:

Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales services that run between Shrewsbury and Craven Arms are also affected by this incident due to flooding between these stations.

Limited replacement road transport has been arranged to serve stations between Shrewsbury / Hereford as required.

Limited rail replacement is also available at Shrewsbury for customers travelling towards Wolverhampton.

West Midlands Railway

Rail replacement buses are operating between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton via Telford Central.

Drivers have been hit with difficult and dangerous conditions tonight as heavy rain has been causing flooding on the nation’s highways.

In Hitchin, Herts, pictures show motorists negotiating deep water gathered under a railway bridge.

And in London vehicles negotiate debris from a tree borught down in the stormy conditions on the North Circular.

Transport for West Midlands said on a post on X: “Rail services across the West Midlands are currently impacted by poor weather conditions.”

The weather chart shows cloud and rain still covering large parts of the country. The agency advised drivers to take care on the roads.

Almost two thirds of the UK is blanketed in weather warnings this evening with yellow alerts in force from Newcastle to Penzance.

The Environment Agency has 30 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 85 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

Areas of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire are listed as being the most vulnerable.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Toro) is also forecasting much of the south-east to see lightning, winds up to 50mph and even “isolated brief tornadoes”.

This includes much of East Anglia, the south-east Midlands and central southern England.

It comes after the issued an amber warning earlier on Thursday for areas of the Midlands and south of the country, set to come into force at 6pm on Thursday and last for 12 hours.

Yellow rain warnings had already been in place for large parts of England and Wales and western parts of Northern Ireland.

Areas affected by the amber warning, including Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands, could see 30-40mm of rainfall within three hours, according to the forecaster.

New images have emerged of rain and stormy conditions engulfing parts of the UK this afternoon.

St Ives in Cambridgeshire has been flooded after the River Great Ouse burst its banks.

And at Seaham Harbour, County Durham, large waves whipped up by the conditions could be seen crashing on the sea wall.

Heavy flooding and rainfall. The has provided a list of the areas which will be worst impacted and an urgent tornado warning bringing 50mph winds has also been issued.

A rare amber weather warning has been issued which will see a major storm hammer the UK.

The storm could cause “danger to life” and the has urged Brits to stay safe and avoid travelling where possible.

Up to 60mm worth of torrential rainfall will cause in several areas, affecting communities already recovering from recent deluges.

The has shared advice on how you can protect yourself in a flood.

If your area has a you should:

– turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, if it’s safe to do so – do not touch an electrical switch if you’re standing in water

– move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety, for example upstairs or to higher ground

– if you have them, use flood protection products, for example flood barriers or air brick covers

You can check advice for your area .

The , which will strike the Cornish coast and South Wales before moving inland, will eventually consume most of the country, the radar suggests.

Around 9pm the entire country, with the exception of northern Scotland, will see some rainfall. In certain areas, the downpours are expected to be fierce with around 5mm of rain.

Luckily, rainfall is not expected to be as bad as Monday.

The has quashed recent claims of an impending ‘Indian summer’ for the UK, arguing that Brits are more likely to see wet and windy conditions as October begins.

While it was initially suggested that autumn would see reasonably warm tempertatures, hopes of this are looking unlikely now.

At least for the start of October, forecasts show a soggy start to the month.

A large part of southeast England and East Anglia is covered by the 10-hour severe weather warning issued by the .

Britons are bracing for 50mph gales and terrifying lightning, with a from tornado experts.

The storm is expected to cover a huge 257-miles, the has warned.

This evening, there will be a large band of heavy rain stretching from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Uwchmynydd, Pwllheli in North Wales this evening.

In the worst affected areas, there will be as much as 15mm fall per hour.

The has issued the following advice:

“Preparing a flood kit could save you from loss or damage due to flooding to your home or business. In your flood kit have: insurance and any other important documents; a torch & spare batteries; a first aid kit, prescription medicines and supplies for looking after your family members or pets; and warm, waterproof clothes, blankets, food and water.”

If you are living in an area which has been heavily impacted by flooding, make sure to check in with loved-ones and the elderly who may need support.

The south of England will be impacted by the spout of extreme weather.

Across the south, a yellow warning is in place with heavy rain expected.

Transport may be affected in the area with flooding expected.

While the midlands will be the most heavily affected area – disruption to the south is expected.

While the worst impacted area will be the Midlands, the north will also see cold temperatures and stormy weather.

The north east will be worst affected, with a yellow warning issued. For the north west, conditions are not expected to be as severe.

Temperatures are expected to range from four to 16 degrees.

The have updated the warning from yellow to amber.

Worst affected areas will include Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester, Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Peterborough.

The warning states that issues will include spray and flooding probably leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings and there is a chance communities will be cut off by flooded roads.

Power cuts are likely and transport delays are to be expected.

From Wednesday, October 2, temperatures will drop drastically.

Waether is expected to be particularly chilly, with forecasts showing a harsh weather front sweeping across areas like the Highlands, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling.

Temperatures elsewhere are also expected to drop.

The has issued a list of advice for staying safe in a storm.

Drivers should take care when heading out onto the roads and should only drive if neccessary.

Advice includes using dipped headlines, increasing the gap between moving traffic and gripping the streeing wheel firmly.

The forecaster has put the yellow in place for the East Midlands, Yorkshire, North East and North West.

Now, more misery is expected across Thursday, with the warning in place for most of the country between and .

A forecast said: “Wet and perhaps windy weather affecting most areas on Thursday. Northern Scotland should remain drier, and colder. A showery, blustery and chilly northerly airstream for all on Friday.”

In the coming days, more storms are expected.

Up to 13,000 lightning strikes were recorded throughout Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday across the country with more on the way.

The National Grid reported power outages across parts of south-west and central England on Sunday.

You can keep an eye on lightning .

Train travel has been disrupted this week due to flooding around Oxfordshire wich has left fields filled with water.

With more rain expected, it’s likely more disruptions to transport will follow.

This comes just days after a month’s rainfall fell on Monday, reaching 100mm in some areas.

The issued a ” warning for storms this week, with the worst expected to hit between 5pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday.

There is likely to be disruptions to travel caused by flooding, extreme winds, thunder and lightning.

The also warned of potential power cuts, adding: “There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.”

Floods have already hit many areas of the UK this week, causing chaos to transport across the country.

More rain is expected and the have said heavy downpours will continue.

The yellow alert which has been issued predicts conditons to lead to even further flooding – three inches of rain are expected to fall over just hours in parts of the UK today.

The warning is in place until 09:00 so is not expected at this stage to last into the weekend.

That said, weather and weather warnings can change quickly and the Express.co.uk will bring you any changes as and when they occur.

The forecast for the weekend is: ” Patchy rain in the north on Saturday, but mostly fine further south. Wet and windy weather sweeping northeastwards during Sunday and Sunday night, giving way to blustery showers on Monday.”

Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.

Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.

People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.

Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area which can be done at www.Express.co.uk/news/weather

Heavy showers and some thunderstorms will occur during today, potentially becoming more organised across a swathe of Wales and into central and eastern England during Thursday evening and on into early Friday morning.

10-15 mm of rain could occur within an hour from the heavy showers during today with a few places possibly seeing 30 mm over a few hours.

There still remains some uncertainty in the details for Thursday evening and overnight, but some locations may see up 20-30 mm of rain in 2-3 hours and perhaps 40-60 mm in 3-6 hours.

East Midlands

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates as the UK is set to be hit by storms over the next 24 hours.

More to follow.