EXPERTS have warned heavy rain could bring travel disruption and flooding to parts of south Essex as a 17-hour weather warning has been issued.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain covering all of Essex including Southend, Basildon and Castle Point, which is in place from 5pm tomorrow until 10am on Friday.

The alert indicates a slight chance of power cuts, a small chance that homes and businesses could become flooded, as well as the possibility of travel disruption, the Met Office said.

Much of central and south England and Wales could see 20-30mm of rain in a two-hour period and 40-60mm within four to six hours.

Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon added this warning area will be “falling on very saturated ground” so there is “potential for further flooding”.

Here is the hour-by-hour forecast for Southend during the warning:

Thursday

5pm - 60 per cent chance of light showers

6pm - Sunny intervals, 40 per cent chance of rain

7pm to 11pm - Partly cloudy night, 40 per cent chance of rain

Friday

Midnight - Partly cloudy night, 30 per cent chance of rain

1am to 3am- Cloudy, 40 per cent chance of rain

4am to 7am - 60 per cent chance of light rain

8am to 10am -  50 per cent chance of light rain