Sussex yellow weather warning: Heavy rain will bring 'chance of flooding'

A spell of rain – ‘heavy at times’ – will affect London and South East England later this afternoon (Wednesday, September 20) and into the early hours of Thursday.

The Met Office warning will remain in place from 4pm today until 3am tomorrow. A spokesperson said: “15 to 20 mm could fall within an hour in places with as much as 30 to 40 mm over two to three hours.

"This may lead to some travel disruption, especially during the busy evening travel period.”

Weather experts warned that bus and train services will ‘probably’ be affected with journey times taking longer.

They added: “Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer. Some interruption to power supplies and other services is possible. There is a small chance of flooding to a few homes and businesses.”

This comes after the county was hit by severe storms earlier this week. Sussex was hit by thunder and lightning overnight on Monday but one West Sussex town was struck harder than others amid reports of a ‘mini tornado’ – with one person left injured and at least 20 cars damaged.

In Littlehampton, photos painted a scene of destruction, with houses damaged and car windows smashed, whilst trees and brick walls fell over.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) confirmed on Tuesday evening that the damage in Wick and Littlehampton ‘was caused by a tornado’.

A TORRO tornado site investigator, named Sarah, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “In brief, as it has been a long day of interviewing people, plotting damage and assessing the situation, with 14 miles of walking thrown in. @TorroUK can confirm that the damage in Wick and Littlehampton was caused by a tornado.”