Yellow Weather Warning for Exeter: heavy rain brings flood and travel disruption risk

A yellow weather warning for heavy rain is in place across Exeter today (Thursday 5 February), with forecasters warning of possible surface water flooding and travel disruption.

The Met Office alert, which covers much of Devon, says periods of persistent rain and heavy showers are likely throughout the day, particularly during the morning and again later in the afternoon.

Meteorologists predict that between 10mm and 20mm of rain could fall widely across the region by the end of Thursday, with some localised areas potentially seeing more than 30mm. 

As ground conditions are already saturated after recent wet weather, even relatively modest rainfall could lead to problems.

The Met Office has rated the warning as “yellow”, meaning the likelihood of impacts is medium, while the expected impact level is low.

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Forecasters say rain arriving from the south overnight turned heavy in places early this morning and is expected to continue on and off through the day.

In its warning, the Met Office said: “Periods of rain and heavy showers are likely to cause surface water flooding in places.” 

“Given the widely saturated ground conditions, some low impact surface water flooding is probable, with difficult driving conditions from spray, flowing water or flooded roads in particular.”

Residents and commuters in Exeter are being advised to plan ahead, with several potential impacts highlighted.

These include longer journey times on roads due to spray and flooding, possible delays to bus and train services, and a small risk of brief interruptions to power supplies.