Rain weather warning for Preston upgraded to amber by the Met Office

Rain creating a risk of spray on a road in South Ribble. Pic: Blog Preston

The weather warning in place for Preston this evening has been upgraded to amber.

A yellow weather warning was already in place valid from 3pm today (31 December) until 11am tomorrow (1 January).

The amber warning covers a smaller area of the North West – which includes Preston – and is in place from 8.38pm this evening until 9am tomorrow morning.

It states that the heavy rain is likely to lead to disruption, cause fast-flowing water, cause damage to businesses and delays to public transport.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Persistent and, at times heavy, rain will continue overnight before clearing southwards on Wednesday morning.

“40-50 mm rain is expected fairly widely, with 50-100 mm across west-facing hills. There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100 mm.”

Rebekah Hicks, deputy chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: “A band of persistent and at times heavy rain will linger across Wales and northwest England through Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, before clearing southeast during Wednesday afternoon.

“This rain will be accompanied by strong and gusty winds.”

A number of flood warnings are in place this evening with the Ribble and Darwen under flood alerts.

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