Forecasters fear flooding amid worst rain of year The Environment Agency warned already sodden areas of the country to prepare for further heavy rain. Photograph: Tom Jenkins Severe flood warnings have been issued in the north and east of England, the Midlands and much of Wales, with non-stop torrential rain expected for the next 24 hours and into Saturday in what forecasters are predicting could be the most serious weather conditions yet this year. The Environment Agency warned already sodden areas of the country to prepare for further heavy rain, after forecasts warned that a month's rain could fall over 24 hours, as heavy showers swept across the UK. The agency has opened emergency incident rooms and has teams out on the ground checking on flood defences and clearing any blockages in order to reduce the risk of flooding as much as possible. Communities across the country have already seen severe floods causing deaths, traffic chaos and widespread damage but the agency warned the risk of flooding was expected to be the highest of the year so far, with homes and transport in some parts of the country likely to be hit. Yorkshire, the north-east, the Midlands and East Anglia are likely to be hit hardest by the severe weather late on Friday, according to the Environment Agency. Craig Woolhouse, the agency's head of flood incident management, said: "We are expecting some very significant flooding in the coming days across large parts of the country and would strongly urge people to sign up to flood warnings, keep a close eye on the forecasts for their area and be prepared for flooding. We would also ask that people stay safe, by keeping out of dangerous flood water and not attempting to walk or drive through it. Nick Prebble, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said up to 100mm (3.9in) of rain could fall over central and southern England in a 24-hour period but it was likely to be less. There is quite a large area of rain edging in from south-east England and making its way westwards through the course of today. Much of England and Wales will be affected by rain. The Met Office issued an amber weather warning - the second highest level of warning, meaning "be prepared." Tony Waters, its deputy chief forecaster, said: "We are expecting spells of very heavy and thundery rain across a wide area of the UK in the next few days, with worst affected spots likely to be in central and northern parts of the country. Rainfall totals could be 20-40mm widely across warning areas, but some places could see around 100mm of rain through today and into tomorrow. Heavy rain last month, the wettest June since records began, had exacerbated the problem, he said, with heavy rain falling on already saturated ground. "This could cause significant disruption - including difficult driving conditions and flooding in some areas," he said. Down district council declared an emergency in County Down in Northern Ireland on Thursday, after flooding hit parts of the county. Newcastle SDLP councillor Carmel O'Boyle said floodwater was "several feet deep" in some areas of the Northern Irish town. Double the average rain fell last month, with provisional figures from the Met Office showing the UK received 145.3mm (5.7in) in June, beating the previous record of 136.2mm (5.4in) in June 2007. Prolonged rainfall and short but exceptionally heavy showers, followed by freak storms with hailstones the size of golf balls in some areas, left parts of the Midlands, the north-east and Wales submerged. April was also the wettest April in the records, which date back more than a century to 1910. June saw long, prolonged rainfall and short, exceptionally heavy showers, and ended with freak storms which battered areas of the Midlands and the north-east. Are you affected by the torrential rain? Tell us in the comments below if your work, travel or an event you are organising has been disrupted. Share a picture with our Flickr group to let us know how you are dealing with the weather and where you are in the UK