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Motorists warned of bad weather Roads warning as bad weather hits
(1 day later)
Drivers are being warned to take care as strong winds and heavy rain are set to hit England and Wales. Drivers have been warned to be careful on the roads as strong winds and heavy rain hit England and Wales.
The Highways Agency has advised people to take care on the roads and said the weather could be a particular problem for cars towing caravans or trailers. The Highways Agency said the weather could be a particular problem for cars towing caravans or trailers.
The Met Office has severe weather warnings in place for the whole of the UK for Tuesday and Wednesday. The Met Office has severe weather warnings for most of the UK for Tuesday and Wednesday, with winds reaching 50mph and up to 50mm (2in) of rainfall.
Forecasters say 25-35mm will fall within 24 hours with gusts of wind up to 50 and 60mph. More than half the yachts that started the Fastnet race off southern England have retired due to the bad weather.
Broken masts
A total of 149 of the 271 boats have pulled out but race organisers said there were no plans to cancel the event.
An RNLI lifeboat rescued a 36-year-old man who had broken his leg, and he was taken to hospital.
The 38 knots of wind created huge holes in the sea that the boat slammed into time and time again Dee Caffari Severe weather hits crews
Portland Coastguard said there were some broken masts, and another crew member was slightly injured but no medical attention was needed.
A number of vessels were sheltering along the Dorset and Devon coastline and in ports such Torbay, Plymouth and Weymouth.
BBC Sport's Matthew Pinsent, who was on board Aviva Ocean Racing, was forced out of the famous 608-mile race.
Falmouth Coastguard said the weather off Land's End was "lively" with force six winds gusting to force seven.
The course takes competitors from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Plymouth via Fastnet Rock off the Irish coast.
'Operation Stack'
Eurostar trains between London Waterloo and Ashford International and Southeastern's London-bound services between Rochester and Swanley have been delayed for up to an hour due to a fallen tree on the track at Farningham Road in Kent.
Play was washed out at Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham
Southeastern trains between Rochester and Swanley via Longfield face short-notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 70 minutes due to a large tree on the lines in the Meopham area.
Felixstowe port in Suffolk has closed because of the weather and "Operation Stack" has been brought in on the A14 where lorries waiting to access the port are being parked.
There are no flights at Land's End airport and there are delays at Penzance heliport in Cornwall.
Rain washed out the day's cricket at Warwickshire, Glamorgan, Northamptonshire and Lancashire.
'Heavy downpours'
BBC weather forecaster Nina Ridge said: "England and Wales will see the worst of it today (Tuesday). It will be pretty cloudy and wet."
The forecast for Wednesday is for sunshine and showers which will be heavy and thundery in the south.
There will be a longer spell of heavy rain crossing some central areas and it will be windy in the west.
The Highways Agency said road users, especially cyclists and motorcyclists and anyone driving a high-sided vehicle or towing a caravan or trailer, should check the forecast before they travel.The Highways Agency said road users, especially cyclists and motorcyclists and anyone driving a high-sided vehicle or towing a caravan or trailer, should check the forecast before they travel.
Road users should also make sure they were prepared for rain or strong winds to affect their journey, it said. The rain is not predicted to be of the volume that caused severe flooding last month.
The agency said motorcyclists may be affected by turbulence caused by large vehicles, so should keep well back when overtaking high-sided vehicles. Some areas saw more than 100mm (3.9in) in a single day in July, which resulted in the floods.
Rain and spray can reduce visibility and more than double the distance it takes to stop so motorists should keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, it advised. The Environment Agency has no flood warnings in place at present.
Less rain
The wind is expected to be accompanied by heavy rain, although it is not predicted to be of the volume that caused severe flooding last month.
Some areas saw more than 100mm in a single day in July, which resulted in the severe flooding.
The Environment Agency says it has no flood warnings in place at present, but it is monitoring the situation and may revise its views on Tuesday.
The Met Office said it was expecting a period of "unseasonably wet" and at time windy weather to affect the UK this week.
The first area of persistent rain was expected to move across England and Wales from the southwest on Monday night.
The heaviest and most widespread rain was likely on Tuesday, it said, with further heavy rain likely to move north east on Wednesday.