Amber rain warning for Devon

Washout weekend on the way

Yellow warnings are two a penny, but it takes quite a bit of concern for the Met Office to escalate their weather warnings to amber. But that's the situation for Saturday and Sunday in Devon.

The south west goes through Friday under a yellow warning for rain. That gets upgraded at midnight, with the amber alert in place till 6 a.m. on Sunday.

The Met Office says: "A band of rain will become slow moving and heavy across Wales, the West Midlands and into south west England. This is likely to bring flooding and some disruption to travel. Many places will see 25 to50 mm of rainfall, with totals of 70 to 90 mm expected over higher ground of Wales and southwest England as well as the potential for over 120 mm in some of the most exposed high ground of Snowdonia and Exmoor. The unusual wind direction associated with the rainfall will mean that the peak rainfall totals are likely to occur in some areas that are usually well sheltered and drier during unsettled spells of weather."

The amber alert means: 

• Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings
• Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life
• Delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are likely
• Spray and flooding probably leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• A good chance some communities cut off by flooded roads