Marwell Zoo announces closure as "heavy rain" and high winds are set to batter Portsmouth and Hampshire
Marwell Zoo has announced it will be closed tomorrow (December 18) with high winds and persistent heavy rain forecast across the county.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain. It will be in place from tomorrow morning (December 18) at midnight until 9pm.
“Some heavy rain will affect southern counties of England during Thursday, perhaps causing some disruption to travel, along the with the possibility of some flooding,” the Met Office said. “Widely 15-25 mm is likely across the warning area, but 40-60 mm may fall in some places, most likely over the Downs.
“Rain will clear to the east by the end of the day. Strong winds, perhaps gusting in excess of 50 mph in some exposed coastal areas, will accompany the rain, perhaps exacerbating the impacts in a few places.”
The forecaster said flooding is likely to impact a few homes and businesses. Journey times on public transport are expected to take longer, with spray and flooding on the roads possible.
Power supplies and other services may be interrupted. The warning covers Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant, Fareham, Waterlooville, Hayling Island and most of Hampshire.
As a result of the weather warning, popular attraction Marwell Zoo has announced its closure, with a limited festive event taking place for those with tickets.
It said: “We apologise for the disruption to your plans, particularly as we were so looking forward to welcoming you to zoo and Glow Marwell, but we hope you understand that the safety of our guests, teams and animals is our top priority. All our animals are safely tucked up and are being cared for by our expert animal teams.”
When will it rain in Portsmouth?
- 5am - 12C - light rain - 12mph winds
- 6am - 12C - light rain - 10mph winds
- 7am - 12C - light rain - 10mph winds
- 8am - 12C - light rain - 10mph winds
- 9am - 12C - heavy rain - 12mph winds
- 10am - 12C - heavy rain - 14mph winds
- 11am - 12C - heavy rain - 17mph winds
- 12pm - 12C - heavy rain - 19mph winds
- 1pm - 12C - heavy rain - 21mph winds
- 2pm - 12C - heavy rain - 23mph winds
- 3pm - 13C - heavy rain - 24mph winds
- 4pm - 13C - heavy rain - 25mph winds
- 5pm - 13C - heavy rain - 25mph winds
- 6pm - 13C - light rain - 23mph winds
- 7pm - 12C - light rain - 20mph winds
- 8pm - 12C - light rain - 17mph winds
- 9pm - 12C - light rain - 15mph winds
- 10pm - 11C - partly cloudy - 13mph winds
- 11pm - 11C - partly cloudy - 12mph winds