As heavy showers sweep over Surrey, the Met Office has today (Sunday, January 5) issued a new 24-hour yellow weather warning for heavy rain. Beginning at 8.51am this morning, the warning will remain in effect until 9am on Monday, January 6 and covers much of the county, including Guildford, Dorking and Redhill.
This follows the snow and ice yellow weather alert which blanketed Surrey on Saturday, January 4. Over the weekend, temperatures have sunk below freezing, leading to some sleet and snow falling overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
For much of the county, this has since been replaced by persistent rain showers which have caused difficult driving conditions around Surrey. Current forecasts reveal that the rain is here to stay for the remainder of the weekend and will turn heavier as the day progresses.
Met Office weather maps show downpours of up to 16mm/hr sweeping over the county throughout the morning. Areas such as Guildford, Epsom and Woking will see the heaviest rain between noon and 1pm.
Conditions will somewhat clear from 4pm, leaving behind patchier showers that will continue into the early evening. From here, heavier but more sporadic outbreaks of rain are forecast over Surrey for the remainder of the day, reaching up to 30mm/hr at times.
The Met Office has advised that, while the yellow weather warning is in place, bus and train journeys are likely to be impacted by the adverse conditions, resulting in longer journey times. Spray and flooding on roads could also cause travel disruption throughout the day.
Showers will likely persist overnight and the warning advises that some wet snow could develop at times. Following spells of lighter rain on Monday morning, the remainder of the day is expected to be largely clear as temperatures again drop to the low single digits, peaking at 5C in parts of Surrey.
National Highways Severe Weather Resilience Manager, Darren Clark, said: “If you are travelling this weekend, keep your distance and reduce your speed. Gritters will be out treating our roads around the clock when ice or snow is forecast, but it is still important to drive to the conditions.
“Even in conditions that seem normal and where the snow is not settling you could always experience slippery conditions. Drivers should plan their journeys, check their vehicles, monitor weather reports and pack a snow kit of blankets, food, water and a shovel.”
