Met Office alert for Saturday, September 9

The Met Office Alert Day is in effect on Saturday 9 September from 2pm until midnight. Storms in the late afternoon and into the evening could cause some flooding thanks to rising water levels, and isolated severe storms could develop.

A flood watch is in effect for much of our area until late tonight. These counties are likely to see flash flooding late Saturday due to higher rainfall totals, especially in low-lying areas that tend to flood easily.

Most of the morning remains fairly dry, but by 3:00 PM showers spread with storms shortly thereafter. Storms are strongest shortly after sunset in the NRV, but storms are also possible in the east. The system begins to calm down around midnight before rain sets in on Sunday.

Saturday has the best chance of flooding, but with more rain falling on Sunday, there is still a risk over the weekend. It takes until Monday for it to dry.

The severe threat is relatively low: We are at a level 1 risk compared to the level 2 risk we faced on Thursday and Friday. Damaging wind gusts are possible, but the chance of hail is much lower.

Friday’s rain was concentrated in our northern provinces. Additional rainfall starting Saturday leaves those counties vulnerable to flooding. We had been in a long dry spell before Thursday, but persistent rainfall since then has raised the risk of flooding.

While the rain fell mostly in the north, the worst of the storms came through our eastern counties. Most of the damage from Friday’s storms was due to wind, not hail.

We get a break from the rain at the start of the work week. Storms return on Wednesday with a front, but most of our weather after that front will remain nice and calm.