The North East is bracing for heavy rain as The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning. 

Slow-moving heavy showers are set to hit parts of Durham and Tyne and Wear throughout Tuesday (July 16), likely leading to some disruption to transport. 

It follows a dreary and wet week across the North East, which even saw a yellow thunderstorm warning issued for County Durham last Wednesday. 

The warning - which has been issued from 8am until 8pm on Tuesday - means that spray and flooding on roads could make journey times longer, with there even being a small chance that a few properties could be temporarily flooded. 

Areas where the warning has been issued include Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, and Sunderland.

At the time of publication, no flood alerts were in place for the region.

Although the warning does not cover Darlington, the town is expected to see a 70% chance of light rain around 6pm and a peak temperature of 19 °C.

The forecaster said: "Heavy showers are expected to develop during Tuesday morning, then become more widespread and slow-moving across the east of the warning area during the afternoon.

"Whilst many places will miss the worst, where showers do occur, 15-20 mm rainfall is likely within an hour, and perhaps 30 to 40 mm in 1 to 2 hours in a few places.

"The odd lightning strike is also possible. Showers will steadily ease during the evening." 

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What should I do?

The Met Office advises people to consider if their location is at risk of flash flooding and plan an emergency flood kit, if so. 

For motorists, check road conditions or transport timetables to avoid delays and amend travel plans if necessary.

Some people may want to consider preparing for power cuts, through gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.