Storm Conall map shows Met Office weather warning across southern UK

Up to 50mm of rain could fall in southern areas of England and Wednesday after Storm Conall arrived in the UK on Tuesday night.

The third named storm of the season made landfall last night, just days after Storm Bert brought strong winds and major flooding to much of the UK.

The Met Office have issued a yellow weather warning for rain over much of England's southern and southeastern coast, including Kent, Sussex and the Isle of Wight, until 12pm on Wednesday. A separate warning for Devon has been removed.

The warning area will widely see 15-20mm of rain with 30-40 mm in some areas and a lower chance of 50mm in parts of the south east, the Met Office said. The average rainfall for November in southern England is 87.1mm.

The forecaster warned that the heavy rain may cause travel disruption, spray flooding on roads, flooding of homes and interruption to power supplies.

It comes as communities in England and Wales continue with a "massive clean-up" of the widespread flooding left behind by Storm Bert, which battered the country with 80mph winds and left hundreds of homes submerged in water.

The areas still under flood warnings

There were 97 flood warnings and around 147 flood alerts still issued across the UK on Wednesday morning.

A severe flood warning, meaning there is danger to life, was still in place in Billing Aquadrome holiday park and the surrounding parks next to the River Nene in Northampton.

Chris Wilding, of the Environment Agency, said “significant flooding impacts” are probable in parts of Northamptonshire, with “minor” flooding on the River Severn.

Conditions are not expected to worsen in Yorkshire and the West Midlands over the next few days.

Additional minor river and surface water flooding is also “probable” in parts of the south and east of England through Wednesday, Wilding said.

The areas still reeling from Storm Bert

In the Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the worst-hit areas of South Wales, around 200 homes were flooded as more than a month's worth of rain fell in a day.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council leader Andrew Morgan told BBC Cymru that the council will make between £1-2m available to people and businesses affected by the storm from emergency funds.

He said all residents and businesses will be offered £1,000 initially, with additional funds available for businesses to make longer-term repairs. Around 400 homes were impacted across Wales, as well as businesses and infrastructure, after the substantial wind and rain brought by Storm Bert.

Natural Resources Wales has come under criticism after the flooding, with some residents in Pontypridd saying warnings only came after the River Taff broke its banks. The service said yesterday that it had issued flood warnings before the downpour but there was “no silver bullet” to managing the flood risk.

UK environment secretary Steve Reed told the Commons on Monday that “further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse".

In the Midlands, a 'major incident' was declared in Northamptonshire on Monday with several roads closed due to flooding and major disruptions to public transport. West Northamptonshire Council said the local police and fire service were “inundated” with more than a thousand calls related to Storm Bert over the weekend.

In Lower Harlestone, rescue teams had used inflatable sleds to rescue 15 adults, four dogs and three cats from eight different properties, the council added.

The Billing Aquadrome, where a severe flood warning is in place, has been flooded for the fourth time in recent years, the environment secretary said on Monday.

How do storms get their names?

The Met Office, along with the Dutch Weather Service and the Met Eireann in Ireland name storms so that the communication of severe weather is easier.

As the Met Office explains: "The naming of storms using a single authoritative system provides a consistent message and aids the communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies.

"In this way the public will be better placed to keep themselves, their property and businesses safe."

Since the Met Office's Name Our Storms project launched in 2015, the forecasting service has issued a new list of names each September, running until late August the following year.

This coincides with the start of autumn and the end of summer, when the likelihood of low-pressure systems and the potential for named storms increases.

In the UK a storm will be named when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning.

When the criteria for naming a storm are met, either the Met Office, Met Éireann or KNMI (the Dutch Weather Service) can name a storm, taking the name from the latest list in alphabetical order.

New lists of names are compiled jointly between the three weather services, but members of the public are welcome to suggest names for future consideration by emailing nameourstorms@metoffice.gov.uk, or through an online form.

Read more

• 'Significant impact' alert as Storm Conall brings two week's rain (Wales Online)

• Better flood warnings needed, Wales FM says (BBC News)

• Town begins clean-up after Storm Bert hits (Swindon Advertiser)