Yellow rain warnings in force for Northern Ireland and southwest England with further warnings likely

The Met Office reported on 30 January 2026 that yellow rain warnings remain in force for Northern Ireland and southwest England, with an additional yellow warning in place across southwest England for early next week. The forecaster said further warnings are likely as successive bands of rain move across the UK after an already notably wet and unsettled period¹.

The additional southwest England warning runs from Monday 12:00 to Tuesday 09:00, according to the Met Office warning notice issued on 30 January¹. The forecaster said the further rainfall is expected in areas already affected by flooding¹. It described an ongoing risk of flooding in sensitive areas, and said that with ground conditions saturated in several regions, additional rainfall, even if not as intense as earlier in the week, may still bring disruption¹.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Rebekah Hicks said:

For the weekend, the Met Office forecast further outbreaks of rain or showers on Saturday for many parts of the UK, tending to turn more showery on Sunday with some drier and brighter interludes in places¹. Temperatures will remain close to the seasonal average for most, but colder air will persist in the far northeast, supporting a continued risk of hill snow, with some hill snow at times in the north as the wet weather engages with colder air there¹.

Why it matters for households

The warnings cover Northern Ireland and southwest England, with the southwest facing a second warning early next week. The Met Office says further rainfall is expected in areas already affected by flooding, and that saturated ground means even less intense rain may still bring disruption¹. Households in the warned areas are affected while the warnings remain in force, and in southwest England again from Monday midday to Tuesday morning¹. The Met Office advises people to keep up to date with the latest National Severe Weather Warnings and forecasts on its website, YouTube, X, Facebook and its mobile app¹. Its warning levels are set out in the guide to Met Office weather warnings, and households can follow how to sign up for Met Office weather alerts. Further background is in the storms and snow section, and for travel in windy conditions there is guidance on driving safely in strong winds.

What happens next

The additional yellow rain warning for southwest England runs from Monday 12:00 to Tuesday 09:00¹. Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Dan Holley said a strong and south-shifted jet stream will continue well into next week, steering further low pressure systems close to the UK from the North Atlantic, bringing further spells of rain at times with strengthening winds and an ongoing risk of flooding in sensitive areas¹. The Met Office said further warnings are likely¹.