The UK is bracing for another weekend of wet and windy conditions, with numerous flood warnings already active.
Twenty-two flood warnings were in place in England on Saturday morning, with eight in Scotland and six in Wales, as the Met Office cautioned of “potentially disruptive weather next week”.
While temperatures are expected to remain mild, gusty winds are also forecast.
Heavy downpours are particularly likely in south Wales, south-west England, and Cumbria, where rain on saturated ground could lead to difficult travel conditions.
Northern Ireland, north-east England, and south-east Scotland are predicted to experience the best chance of drier weather this weekend.
Another band of rain is forecast to make its way across the country in a north-easterly direction on Sunday with persistent spells likely in northern areas.
A potentially deep area of low pressure could cause further problems next week.
“A deepening area of low pressure will approach the UK from the south-west later on Monday, bringing with it heavy rain and strong winds, which are likely to affect the UK between late Monday and early Wednesday,” the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said.
“At present, the exact track, depth, and timings of this low are uncertain, which makes it harder to determine where will be most impacted by strong winds and/or heavy rain.
“This system has the potential to cause disruption, and severe weather warnings are likely to be issued over the weekend as details become clearer. We therefore urge people to keep up-to-date with the latest Met Office forecast.”
The Met Office forecast for the rest of December remains unsettled, with further periods of low pressure predicted.
Meteorologists said it is too early to provide an accurate forecast for the Christmas period.
On Thursday, the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for freezing fog across parts of southeast England..
Visibility was likely to fall below 100 metres in places, the forecaster said, and a few patches of ice could form on untreated surfaces before clearing on Friday morning.
