Amber weather warning triggers school closures across UK - list

Schools have been forced to shut their doors after the Met Office issued an amber weather warning for heavy rain.

Certain areas could witness over a month's worth of rainfall on Monday alone, leading to potential flooding risks. A yellow rain warning, which covers most parts of England and Wales, except the most westerly and northerly regions, surrounds the more severe amber warning.

Residents in amber warning areas are being advised to 'act now' to prepare for possible travel disruption and potential flooding of homes and businesses. Birmingham, Sheffield, Northampton and Stoke-on-Trent are among the towns and cities included in the warning, which applies to parts of northern and central England.

Flooding began to affect areas in the southeast overnight, with residents in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and Hitchin, Hertfordshire, being forced out of their homes due to rising water levels. Bedfordshire Police issued a warning on Sunday that the town's High Street was closed due to "substantial flooding".

Frank Saunders, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "Following on from the heavy rain that some of us have seen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the new working week begins with rain across a large swathe of England and Wales. The area with the higher likelihood of impactful rain is now covered by an Amber warning, stretching from Gloucester across the Midlands to the Wash and the Humber.", reports the Mirror.

"It's likely that some parts of this area will be worse affected than others it all depends on where, and if, the weather system responsible for the heavy rain stalls and pivots. However, within this warning period - which encompasses two rush hours some localities will probably see between 50 and 80 mm of rain, while there's the possibility that a few could experience in excess of 100mm of rain. Where this happens, this brings the potential for travel disruption and localised flooding."

The Environment Agency has warned of "significant" flooding on Monday across parts of England. Flood duty manager Sarah Cook remarked on the "persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms" that are likely to be seen, potentially leading to flooding of homes and disruptions to travel.

Full list of schools shut today:.

Hockliffe Lower School, Bedfordshire.

St Marys CofE Clophill VA, Bedfordshire.

Harlington Upper, Bedfordshire.

Harlington Lower, Bedfordshire.

Sundon Lower School, Bedfordshire.

Looking ahead to Tuesday's forecast, David Oliver, Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, commented: "Tuesday's weather will be quieter across England and Wales, but further north heavy showers could impact some parts of Scotland. Through Wednesday and Thursday, unsettled weather is expected to make a comeback as frontal systems arrive from the Atlantic, bringing showers or longer spells of rain to a large swathe of the UK."