Yellow weather warning issued by Met Office on Friday as floods hit the Black Country and beyond
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for heavy rain across the region that has already brought flooding and disruption to transport.
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People have been told to prepare for thunderstorms as heavy showers are already causing flooding in areas of the Black Country.
The wet weather is also predicted to disrupt transport for the rest of the day.
In the yellow warning, forecasters say: "Whilst some areas will miss the worst, heavy showers and some thunderstorms will occur during today, potentially becoming more organised across a swathe of Wales and into central and eastern England during Thursday evening and on into early Friday morning.
"10-15 mm of rain could occur within an hour from the heavy showers during today with a few places possibly seeing 30 mm over a few hours. There still remains some uncertainty in the details for Thursday evening and overnight, but some locations may see up 20-30 mm of rain in 2-3 hours and perhaps 40-60 mm in 3-6 hours.
"Given the recent very wet weather, this will bring the potential for further flooding and transport disruption."
The warning, which also covers Birmingham and the east Midlands, warns of potential power cuts to homes and businesses as well as difficult driving conditions.
Advice from the Met Office says: "Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.
"Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.
"People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
"Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area."
There has already been disruptions to trains running between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury with West Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast operators warning that heavy rain overnight has caused flooding across the rail network.
The Environment Agency has also issued three flood alerts for in and around the Black Country including the River Sow and River Penk, River Stour and Smestow Brook in the Black Country and South Staffordshire, and Upper Tame.
