Met Office issues yellow rain and wind warning for London and much of east and south-east

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The dire weather outlook as the UK approaches May Day is for torrential rain, gales, floods, sleet and even snow.

The Met Office forecasts maximum temperatures of 6C, feeling colder in strong winds from the north, and has issued a yellow rain and wind warning for Sunday night and Monday morning covering London and the south-east, the east Midlands and the east coast as far north as Yorkshire.

Forecaster Becky Mitchell said the weather front across the south and east could bring frost, sleet and even snow on higher ground in the Chilterns and Pennines. Some places could get as much as their month’s rainfall from April in a day on Monday.

The dismal forecast comes barely a week after sunbathers covered every park and beach and runners sweltered their way through the London Marathon during a mini-heatwave that included the hottest April day in 70 years when the temperature in the capital hit 29.1c.



The rain is predicted to be heavy enough to cause flooding and disrupt transport, and gusts of wind of up to 55mph are forecast, strong enough to cause road and bridge closures and bring down trees and other structures.



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Up to 35mm of rain is forecast for many areas, and up 80mm in some.

The outlook for the rest of the week is sunshine and showers, and cold enough nights for frost in many places, with day time temperatures gradually recovering towards the end of the week, but not before another weather front is forecast to bring strong winds on Wednesday.

The west and north and much of Scotland could have chilly sunshine early in the week, but will get their share of rain from midweek. The tentative forecast for the bank holiday weekend is breezy, showery but a little warmer.