Flood warnings as heavy rains sweep across England – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

Parts of England could face flooding as heavy rain sweeps across the country, the Met Office has said.

Forecasters warned that more than two inches of rain (50 mm) could fall within 12 hours on Monday in some parts of the country.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning stretching from Devon on the south coast to South Yorkshire between midday and midnight.

Cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford, London and Portsmouth are also within the warning area.

The Met Office said the wet weather will move northwards across much of England on Monday, with the heaviest rain forecast for the afternoon and evening.

While up to 25 mm is likely to fall “quite widely”, some areas could see up to 60 mm, the Met Office said.

“This brings a risk of flooding and disruption, but the situation is uncertain, such that the likelihood of this across any given county is small.”

The Environment Agency has issued six flood warnings for England, three of which are for the River Avon in the South West near Bath.

As of 4. 30 pm on Sunday, the agency has 42 flood alerts in place across the South West, Midlands and parts of East Yorkshire.

The wet weather follows anunsettled Sunday across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said.

Heavy rain is forecast for the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, with some areas receiving up to 20 mm throughout Sunday.

Wilson said: “It is looking pretty unsettled. Heavy rain across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will push northwards throughout the day. We have not got any weather warnings out [for Sunday], but the rain could cause [road] surface spray, so that could lead to some difficult driving conditions. ”

He said the wet weather will push north throughout the day into southern Scotland. It will be followed by drier weather moving up from the south and south-west from the mid-afternoon, Mr Wilson said.

South-east England is forecast to have the warmest temperatures at 18 C, while the north of England will be the coolest region – between (C and 12 C.

Mr Wilson said the rain will “ease” overnight on Sunday and will be followed by fog patches across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Despite more wet weather on Monday, Mr Wilson said there is an “improving picture” for Tuesday, with temperatures reaching up to C.

He said while there will be some rain in Northern Ireland on Tuesday, it will be “drier” for the rest of the UK.