STORM Barbara is set to bring heavy rain to Dorset today, the Met Office has warned.

A yellow weather warning has been issued for the whole of the county from 3am until 2pm on Wednesday.

Between 10 and 15mm of rain could be seen in many places with as much as 30 to 50mm in a few locations.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “Heavy rain will move north during the early hours of the morning and persist through the peak morning travel period, before clearing northeastwards. 10-15 mm of rain will fall widely, with as much as 30 to 50 mm in a few locations.

“With much of this falling in a short period, around 3 to 6 hours, some surface-water flooding is likely in places, leading to disruption to travel. The rain may be accompanied by gales across parts of southeast England, perhaps most likely towards the Kent and Sussex coasts.”

In terms of what to expect, the Met Office says:

  • Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer
  • Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer
  • Flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible.

Storm Barbara has been named by the Spanish weather service and is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to parts of Portugal and Spain, however, the Met Office says it will not cause a major impact to the UK but will bring heavy rain.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Frank Saunders, said: “As we look ahead to the rest of the week, we are expecting rain or showers for many areas on Wednesday, possibly heavy and blustery in the South East.

"It will be quieter on Thursday but more unsettled from Friday, with spells of wet and windy weather moving in from the west.”

It comes just weeks after Storm Alex battered Dorset bringing flooding many areas, particularly Swanage.

Police had to close off part of the town centre after sea defences were breached leading to significant flooding.