A month’s worth of rain is expected to fall on parts of the UK within 48 hours as the good weather the country has basked in for weeks comes to a soggy end.
Western England and the whole of Wales have been warned of possible flooding as the Easter weekend approaches.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for rain beginning at noon on Tuesday and lasting for 24 hours, advising that there could be transport disruption, flooding of homes and businesses and a chance of power cuts.
Spray and flooding on roads could make journey times longer and there may be delays on bus and train services, forecasters said.
Areas within the zone include popular holiday spots in Cornwall and Devon as well as Bristol, Bath, Herefordshire, Shropshire, parts of Cheshire and Merseyside.
The Met Office said: “Whilst there is some uncertainty in where the heaviest rain will fall, 20-40mm of rain is expected fairly widely. A few places may see 50-75 mm of rain during this period.”
By Tuesday evening 36mm (1.4in) had fallen in Culdrose in Cornwall in 24 hours and 30mm in Milford Haven in south-west Wales. The east of England did not completely escape, with 21mm falling on parts of Suffolk.
By the end of Wednesday as much as 75mm was expected to have fallen in some areas of west Wales over 48 hours – about the same as the average for the whole of April.
Wind was also expected to be an issue on Wednesday, with very strong gusts hitting parts of the south coast of England and 50mph flurries inland.
A yellow warning was in place for Northern Ireland for much of Wednesday, where up to 60mm of rain was predicted over the high ground of Antrim and Down.
After weeks of fine weather for many parts of the UK, the Met Office said low pressure was leading to unsettled conditions.
Its chief meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: “After a long spell of high pressure bringing dry weather and sunshine, gloomier and unsettled conditions are on the horizon. Low pressure has become established to the west of the UK, bringing cloud, rain showers and lower temperatures for many.
“More persistent and heavy rain is expected on Tuesday into early Wednesday. A low-pressure system near Portugal is of particular interest as it moves towards the UK, bringing with it potentially heavy rain and thunderstorms.
“High rainfall totals are possible but, given the recent dry conditions, significant impacts are not anticipated. The situation remains under close watch, with further wet conditions anticipated on Thursday and another weather front moving in on Friday.”
In England, the Environment Agency had nine flood alerts – meaning flooding is possible – in place on Tuesday afternoon. There were no flood warnings for Wales.
The Environment Agency was monitoring the River Mimram, a chalk stream in Hertfordshire, where the persistent rain in December and January has led to high groundwater levels. It said there may be risk of flooding there to very low-lying properties.
Storm Hans, named by the Italian Met Service, is due to bring strong winds and rough seas to parts of the Mediterranean this week.
Heavy rain is a concern, particularly in northern Italy, where over 200mm (8in) may fall by Thursday, giving a risk of flash flooding and landslides.
Temperatures in the UK are likely to be around average for the time of year, with potentially unsettled days, dry interludes and chilly nights.
The AA issued an amber warning for traffic for the Easter weekend. It said more than 19m journeys were expected on Good Friday and more than 18m on Easter Monday.
