A new amber weather warning for heavy rain has been put in place for New Year’s Day.
The rare alert has been put into force by the Met Office from 8pm on New Year’s Eve until 9am on Wednesday.
Over 130 flood warnings are also in place across the UK, which could see ‘fast flowing or deep floodwater’ cause ‘danger to life.’
Forecasters say ‘persistent and, at times heavy, rain’ will continue overnight before clearing southwards throughout the morning of New Year’s Day.
The amber warning covers the north west and central England including parts of Derbyshire, Blackburn, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and north, south and west Yorkshire.
Heavy rain is also expected to fall in Cheshire, and South Yorkshire for a few hours this morning.
The poor weather has brought with it a raft of cancellations as scores of outdoor activities have been called off due to safety concerns. Over 100 parkruns have been cancelled due to unsafe conditions, as have a number of New Years dips in Wales, Norfolk and Kent.
TransPennine Express has urged customers not to travel before noon, saying flooding was causing ‘significant issues’ in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
The Met Office forecast says: ’40-50mm rain is expected fairly widely, with 50-100mm across west-facing hills.
‘There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100mm.’
This adds to a catalogue of Met Office alerts in place over the New Year period, including yellow warnings on New Year’s Eve for rain in Wales and north-west England, wind in northeastern England, Cumbria and southern Scotland, and snow in the rest of Scotland.
The amber alert warns of ‘likely’ flooding to homes and businesses in central Scotland, including Inverness, with 10 flood alerts and 20 flood warnings in place on Monday.
The Met Office says there’s a ‘good chance’ of communities getting cut off by flooded roads, as well as power cuts and other service outages.
The Scottish government has called a meeting of its emergency and crisis response unit in response to the risks.
Up to 140mm of rain is expected to fall on western Scotland today and tomorrow, with snow expected in most other regions of Scotland.
Winds of up to 60mph and blustery showers are expected across northern England, the Midlands and Wales through to the mid-afternoon.
Weather officials have warned travel disruption and other hazards are likely to persist in those areas until 11pm.
The storms are expected to dissipate as they move southwards, resulting in lighter showers in the southwest and southeast in the evening.
Forecasters predict a few hours of respite overnight before another larger storm hits the UK on New Year’s Day (Wednesday).
Further yellow weather alerts have been issued for ‘very strong winds’ across the entirety of England from 9am through to 6am the following day.
‘Gusts of 65-75 mph are likely around coasts and hills, especially in the south and west, with 50-60 mph gusts likely fairly widely inland,’ the Met Office warned.
Heavy rain is expected to hit western areas in the morning and persist throughout the day, with northern England and southern Scotland getting drenched in the late afternoon.
In Wales, the rain is expected to be heavy enough to warrant a yellow alert.
Forecasters say flooding of homes and businesses is ‘likely’ in some areas there.
Power cuts, flooding on roads and public transport disruption are also probable, according to the Met Office.
Chief forecaster Andy Page said: ‘There is a very complicated weather forecast for the UK with snow, strong winds and heavy rain all feature for parts of the UK.
‘Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week.
‘With such a varied and complex weather situation there is potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.
‘With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.’
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