Heavy rain warning for most of the UK
People are being warned of flooding and possible danger to life in parts of the country
Heavy rain over the next 24 hours could bring travel disruption and flooding across many parts of the UK.
The Yellow weather warning from the Met Office is in place for the north of England, the Midlands and north and mid Wales until 6am on Thursday, with the southern edges of the affected area extended to run roughly from around Norwich to Bath.
Another yellow rain warning comes into place at noon on Wednesday for Scotland, covering the south and east of the country, which runs until 6pm on Thursday.
A further yellow warning for thunderstorms has been added for much of the south coast of England from 8am to 7pm on Wednesday.
Amber weather warning for North West England
People are being warned of possible severe disruption in North West England, with an amber weather warning for rain for most of the region.
The warning, which came in force at midnight, covers Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, north Wales and most of Lancashire and is due to last until at least noon on Wednesday.
Drivers can expect localised flooding and difficult driving conditions, with rain becoming heavy and persistent.
Residents are also being warned of possible powercuts, and more rural communities could become cut off.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "Some areas are really going to see a lot of heavy, persistent rain through a big chunk of Wednesday. It is going to be a pretty wet picture as we go through the rest of the week for many places.
"There is some uncertainty as to exactly where we are going to see the heaviest rain and where is most likely to be impacted."
Northern areas are expected to remain cloudy and wet on Thursday too.