WEATHER: Severe warning in place

8:38am today Friday 5th September 2008

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By The Page Turner »

Oxford and the surrounding area has been given a severe weather warning this morning as Met Office forecasters predicted heavy rain.

About 20mm (just over three-quarters of an inch) to 40mm (1.6 inches) of rain is expected to fall across Oxfordshire, about two thirds of the average amount of rainfall for September, 61mm.

There are Floodwatches on three tributaries of the River Thames - the Evenlode, Ray and Windrush, according to the Environment Agency, with flooding of low-lying land and roads expected.

Met Office forecaster Stephen Holman urged drivers to take care on the roads, and said: "There will be persistent rain throughout the day and the trend throughout the morning is that it will become heavier.

"Then there will be clearer weather pushing through from the South West in the first part of the afternoon, but following that there will scattered heavy showers, and possibly some thunderstorms.

"It's going to be a very unsettled day and the ground will be very wet because we have already had some rain overnight."