THE Met Office has issued a rare amber warning lasting 24 hours - as thunderstorms and "danger to life" floods hit the nation.
An amber rain warning will come into force for North Wales, north-west England, West Yorkshire and Derbyshire at noon today.
Rain will become heavy and persistent later today, with flooding and disruption likely before the warning ends at midday tomorrow.
Spray and floodwater will probably lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
Fast-flowing or deep floodwater is likely - posing a danger to life.
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There is a good chance some communities will be cut off by flooded roads.
Delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are also likely, forecasters said.
And there will likely be power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.
Around 70-90mm of rain could fall on high ground in northwest England.
But a whopping 100-150mm of rain could drench the mountains of north Wales.
The Environment Agency has issued a red flood warning for the Stour Brook on the Essex-Suffolk border.
Network Rail said there is currently no service between Bedford and Bletchley due to heavy rainfall and flooding on the tracks.
Met Office expert Alex Burkill said: "Some areas are really going to see a lot of heavy, persistent rain through a big chunk of Wednesday.
"It is going to be a pretty wet picture as we go through the rest of the week for many places.
"There is some uncertainty as to exactly where we are going to see the heaviest rain and where is most likely to be impacted."
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A Met Office spokeswoman said: "The precise track of the low pressure would determine where the rainfall comes.
"It is still uncertain and is something we are keeping an eye on.
"We would encourage people to keep an eye on the forecast over the next couple of days to see how that evolves."
