27-hour heavy rain warning now in force across Sussex
Forecasters say downpours could exacerbate flooding issues in some areas
Sussex is now under a 27-hour warning for heavy rain, bringing the potential for flooding and travel problems.
A Met Office alert covers the whole of the county between 6am on Thursday (September 26th) and 9am on Friday (27th).
Forecasters have warned that the downpours have the potential to exacerbate flooding issues caused by heavy rain earlier in the week, mostly on Monday.
There is also said to be a small chance of power cuts and loss of services to some homes and businesses.
Strong winds are also forecast for today, with gusts potentially reaching up to 45mph in some coastal areas.
The Met Office has said:
"Whilst some areas will miss the worst, 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."
What should we do?
- 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 Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.