North West England is bracing itself after yet another yellow weather warning of rain

Rain is likely to be heavy, especially over high ground, which may lead to flooding and travel disruption.

An Atlantic weather system will arrive on Wednesday which is expected to bring a further spell of rainfall in parts of the northwest of England.

It is possible there may be rainfall totals of between 70 and 100mm during this period.

Due to the deep saturation of the ground, this may lead to some flooding.

Preston will see a 90% chance of heavy rain from 11am onwards into the night on Wednesday. This will continue through to Thursday until 6pm where it will ease off and we will see temperatures fall from a consistent nine degrees to five degrees.

Blackpool will also suffer from strong southwesterly winds at up to 24mph with wind gusts of 39mph while heavy rain hits at 11am and continues through to about 3pm on Thursday when it will become partly cloudy.

Lancaster will also be similarly strongly affected from 11am onwards to Thursday afternoon with strong westerly winds of 24mph.

It is advised to prepare for the possibility of homes and businesses flooding which could cause damage to some buildings.

Risk

The Met Office recommends preparing your property for flooding if you feel you are at risk.

There is a small chance that where flooding occurs, there may be delays or cancellations to train and bus services.

Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

If driving, it is recommended by the Met Office to avoid starting your journey until it clears and to choose to travel on main roads if possible.

Roads will be more slippery than usual in the wet weather so be sure to give yourself more time to react when approaching a hazard. Also, increase your following gap to at least four seconds from the moving traffic in front.

Floods

If you discover a flooded road, the Met Office advises to turn around and find another route, even if the water looks shallow.

In the northwest, there is forecast to be scattered showers this evening which will slowly ease overnight. A touch of frost might develop in the early hours in the absence of rain with a minimum temperature of two degrees.

On Wednesday, the northwest will have a bright and breezy morning until further rain arrives from the west around lunchtime when the maximum temperature will be eight degrees.

From Thursday to Saturday there will be strong winds with heavy rain at intervals. Saturday may, however, be drier and brighter than in recent days.