UK Storm Babet: Amber weather warning for heavy rain issued and flood alerts in place - hour by hour forecast

An amber weather warning covering the Derby area has been issued by the Met Office for Friday (October 20) and Saturday (October 21) as Storm Babet sweeps across the UK.

The alert, which is in place from 12pm on Friday until 6am on Saturday, warns of "persistent heavy rain" with the "likelihood of some flooding and disruption".

Due to the severity of the weather, locals are being warned that "homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings" and "fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing danger to life".

There are also delays and cancellations to public transport expected, along with the potential for power cuts and the loss of other services.

Are flood alerts in place for Derby?

With significant rainfall expected, the Environment Agency has issued seven flood alerts for the area. The warnings are for the following locations:

• Bottle Brook in Derbyshire - Updated 2:27am on 19 October 2023
• Lower Derwent in Derbyshire - Updated 7:15pm on 19 October 2023
• River Ecclesbourne in Derbyshire - Updated 7:14pm on 19 October 2023
• River Erewash Tributaries in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire - Updated 7:13pm on 19 October 2023
• River Trent in Derbyshire - Updated 7:14pm on 19 October 2023
• River Trent in Nottinghamshire - Updated 7:20pm on 19 October 2023
• Tributaries in South Derbyshire - Updated 7:14pm on 19 October 2023

What does the Met Office warning say?

The Met Office update reads: "Following on from wet weather on Thursday, a further spell of persistent and at times heavy rain will affect parts of southeast Scotland and northern England during Friday, lasting into early Saturday.

"Widely 40-60 mm of rain is likely to fall, but the east-facing high ground from southeast Scotland to the Cheviots, south to the Peak District may see between 80 and 120 mm of rain locally. Strong easterly winds may exacerbate the impacts of the heavy rain."

When will Storm Babet be at its worst over the next 24 hours?

Friday weather forecast

• 8am - 95% chance of rain
• 9am - 90% chance of rain
• 10am - 90% chance of rain
• 11am - 90% chance of rain
• 12pm - 90% chance of rain
• 1pm - 90% chance of rain
• 2pm - 90% chance of rain
• 3pm - 90% chance of rain
• 4pm - 90% chance of rain
• 5pm - 90% chance of rain
• 6pm - 80% chance of rain
• 7pm - 90% chance of rain
• 8pm - 90% chance of rain
• 9pm - 90% chance of rain
• 10pm - 80% chance of rain
• 11pm - 80% chance of rain

Saturday weather forecast

• 12am - 60% chance of rain
• 1am - 60% chance of rain
• 2am - 60% chance of rain
• 3am - 50% chance of rain
• 4am - 20% chance of rain
• 5am - 20% chance of rain
• 6am - 60% chance of rain
• 7am - 60% chance of rain
• 8am - 60% chance of rain
• 9am - 60% chance of rain
• 10am - 10% chance of rain

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service issue warning

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service are also calling for people to be prepared and take extra care as the county prepares for the arrival of Storm Babet.

Group Manager Rob Leverton said "Storm Babet is expected bring significant rainfall to parts of Derbyshire from Thursday into Saturday morning.

“We are calling on members of the community to take extra care and prepare for the impact of the increased rainfall. This is expected to cause localised flooding, high and fast flowing rivers, and surface water across many of Derbyshire’s roads.

“I’d strongly encourage everyone to sign up to the Environmental Agencies flood warnings which will allow communities to understand their own local risk and what they can do to prepare for any impact.

“I would also like to call on motorists and members of the public to take extra care whether they are on the roads, or out walking over the coming days. Please do not ignore ‘road closed’ signs as these warn of danger, and please drive to the road conditions!

“As we head into the weekend and more people go out walking or running, we are also asking people to keep away from fast flowing rivers. Banks and footpaths will be extremely slippery and may have become unstable due to the weather. Walkers should also keep dogs on leads and away from the water’s edge.”