THE Met Office has issued a yellow rain warning for the south west as the weather turns for the weekend.

A yellow weather warning will be in effect from 6pm on Friday, April 18, until 9am on Saturday, April 19.

The warning appears only to affect areas to the south and south west of Wellington, with residents in Devon, Cornwall, Plymouth and Torbay to bear the brunt of a prolonged spell of rain, some of it heavy.

Residents in the Wellington area should also expect heavy rain from Friday morning at around 10am for the rest of the day and into Saturday morning.

Drivers are warned of difficult driving conditions and some disruption to travel, and residents of these areas can expect some flooding, and possible interruptions to power supplies and other services.

According to the Met Office: “Rain developing early Friday becomes heavier and more persistent later on Friday and persists into Saturday before easing from Saturday late morning.

“20 to 40 mm of rain is likely to build up widely by Saturday morning and 50 to 75 mm rain is likely over and near areas of higher ground, especially Dartmoor. Conditions will also be quite windy.”