Heavy rains, strong winds and possible flooding could occur in Surrey on Wednesday (October 20), the Met Office has warned.

The climate and weather agency issued a Yellow Weather Warning Tuesday that covered the western parts of the county and others to the south and west but spared London.

Alongside it, cautions against the expected stormy weather were issued, with residents and motorists urged to be wary of the possible impacts of the storms.

"A brief period of heavy rain, thunderstorms and very gusty winds may cause some disruption on Wednesday morning," the Met Office said, adding the following list of potential impacts from the weather:

  • There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds
  • Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
  • Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
  • There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
  • There is a small chance of damage to trees by strong and gusty winds

Extreme weather events such as severe storms, and heavier and more frequent precipitation are all anticipated by scientists in the coming years as the climate crisis worsens.

The Met Office itself predicts greater instances of flooding, and has pointed out that rainfall in the UK has already become more frequent and heavier as the climate here heats up.

"In the future, we project that the UK will see warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers, more frequent and intense weather extremes," one passage on the Met Office's climate web pages reads.