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UK weather: Flood warnings issued as Storm Mathis brings heavy rain and power outages

UK weather: Flood warnings issued as Storm Mathis brings heavy rain and power outages

Homeowners have been warned of a risk of flooding in scores of locations across southern England, as the wettest March in at least 42 years spilled into April.

Yet more rain is forecast this weekend in southern parts of the UK, after Storm Mathis brought torrential downpours to England on Friday, with strong winds and power outages reported in Cornwall.

The storm brought strong winds and heavy rain to the region, with gusts of up to 93mph (150km/h) recorded at Gwennap Head, near Penzance.

Stormy weather brought power cuts in Falmouth, St Ives and St Keverne, the National Grid said.

Residents in 126 areas across England, as far north as Nottinghamshire, have been urged by the Environment Agency to be prepared for possible flooding.

More severe flood warnings have been issued in a further eight locations near Bristol, Swindon, Reading, Greater London and Peterborough.

Devon county council said on Friday that there was localised flooding on many roads, with rivers and streams “reaching high levels”.

The Met Office said that a yellow weather warning for rain in Devon and Cornwall was lifted at 6pm.

It added that on Friday, outbreaks of rain and drizzle continued across much of the UK.

The French weather agency Meteo France named the cyclonic low-pressure system earlier on Thursday before it travelled across the Channel.

The Met Office forecast a cloudy start to the weekend in the country’s east and west.

Brighter skies through Saturday morning are expected for the Northern Isles and western coasts of Scotland.

The Met Office has also forecast rain in the south and west which is expected to ease later.

A few sunny spells are seen developing but scattered, heavy showers in the far southwest have also been forecast along with patchy drizzle in the east.

Saturday night is expected to see cloudy weather with some light rain and drizzle away from Wales and western England.

The Met Office has forecast a cloudy start in east England including a little light rain and drizzle on Sunday. Sunny spells in east are also expected to spread to most areas.

The forecaster said that from Monday to Wednesday the weather is expected to remain mostly dry with sunny spells on Monday, but cloud and rain moving slowly from the west and continuing to edge east on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Temperatures are expected to remain around or a little above normal.