Yellow weather warning for rain issued across Kent with flooding expected

A yellow weather warning was issued for Kent with heavy rain and flooding expected.

The alert, issued by the Met Office, was in place across the county from 3pm yesterday afternoon (July 15) until 9am this morning (July 16).

However, the 18-hour warning was lifted earlier this morning following heavy downpours and lightning strikes across Kent overnight.

Outbreaks of heavy rain were expected to develop throughout the day and move northwards through the evening and overnight, according to weather experts.

They warned around 15 to 20mm of rain may fall in less than an hour, with a few places seeing up to 40mm in two hours which could cause flooding and disruption.

If that did happen, there were likely to be road closures, delays or cancellations to trains and buses and there was a chance there would be power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.

There was also a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded which could then cause damage to buildings.

People were being asked to check if their property could be at risk and consider preparing a plan and an emergency flood kit, to check road conditions if driving, and to gather torches, battery packs and other essentials in case of a power outage.

The warning was in place across the south east and west of the country but has since been lifted.