UK weather: Heavy rain warning issued – days after Storm Ciaran caused chaos

A warning for heavy rain and showers is in force across southern England – with more than 200 flood alerts issued nationwide.

The Met Office yellow alert comes days after Storm Ciaran battered the same area with rain, flooding and winds of up to 100mph.

The ground is still saturated in many places, raising the likelihood of travel disruption.

A large swathe of the South – from Cornwall to Kent, and as far as south London – is covered by the warning from 5am on Saturday until midnight.

Up to 40mm (1.57in) of rain is possible.

Spray and flooding could make car journeys tricky – and bus and train services could be affected too, according to the Met Office.

It said large waves could also cause dangerous conditions on some coastal stretches.

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Chief forecaster Frank Saunders called it “fairly typical autumnal weather” – but rain falling on already sodden ground was partly why the warning had been issued.

However, it’s better news for people heading out for Bonfire Night, with Mr Saunders predicting a “largely dry and settled” Sunday – albeit colder than last week.

Storm Ciaran was still causing some knock-on problems for the railways on Friday.

LNER, which runs the line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, advised passengers not to travel until Saturday.

Delays and cancellations were expected because trains and staff were out of position due to power failures.

Other operators also warned of disruption as they cleared debris off tracks.

Storm Ciaran had now moved into the North Sea – but its southern edge has caused chaos in parts of Italy.

Official said six people died and two were missing after rivers in Tuscany burst their banks following torrential rain overnight into Friday.

There were fears that Florence could be flooded, but the historic city avoided any major incidents.

Italian Civil Protection officials said 200mm (7.87in) of rain fell in a three-hour period stretching from Livorno on the western coast to the inland valley of Mugello.

Tuscany’s president, Eugenio Giani, said it had never had so much rain in such a short space of time.

He told Sky TG24 that experts believe it was the worst downpour in 100 years.

“What happened overnight in Tuscany has a clear name: CLIMATE CHANGE,” he wrote on X.