Parts of the UK will be lashed by heavy rain and high winds - prompting the Met Office to issue an amber 'danger to life' warning for this weekend.
The rain warning is in force from 12 noon on Saturday until 6am on Sunday for parts of Cheshire, Wales, the West Midlands, and the South West as Storm Alex sweeps in.
The amber danger to life warning means homes and business are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.
The Met Office issued the warning which said: "A band of rain will become slow moving and heavy across Wales, the West Midlands and into South West England.
"This is likely to bring flooding and some disruption to travel.
"Many places will see 25-50 mm of rainfall, with totals of 70-90 mm expected over higher ground of Wales and South West England as well as the potential for over 120 mm in some of the most exposed high ground of Snowdonia and Exmoor.
"The unusual wind direction associated with the rainfall will mean that the peak rainfall totals are likely to occur in some areas that are usually well sheltered and drier during unsettled spells of weather."
Fast-flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing "danger to life", the Met Office warns.
Delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are "likely".
Spray and flooding will probably lead to "difficult driving conditions and some road closures", the Met Office warning stated.
And there is a "good chance some communities will be cut off by flooded roads."
The Met Office advises people to prepare a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents and check for flood warnings.
A yellow weather warning of rain remains in place for Greater Manchester from the hours hours of Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon.
The autumnal spell will begin when the weather front named by Meteo-France arrives from the continent overnight into Friday.
Steve Ramsdale, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, described the forecast as a “miserable end to the working week” and warned of gales between 60 and 65mph along sea fronts before another band of wet weather arrives for larger swathes of the country.
He added: “As the strong winds and rain associated with Storm Alex clear away from Britain later on Friday, another low-pressure system moves towards the UK from the east bringing further very heavy rain and strong winds to many over the weekend.”
Their concerns were echoed by the Environment Agency as it said: “Heavy rain will bring the potential for surface water flooding and perhaps some river flooding across the south of England on Friday.
“More widespread and persistent heavy rain across much of England will bring the potential for further river and surface water flooding over the weekend.
“We urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive though flood water, it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”
