LIVE Greater Manchester weather updates with 'danger to life' alert issued as Met Office trigger 'severe' amber warning

Heavy downpours have started to hit Greater Manchester with a 'severe danger to life' amber rain warning set to come into force.

The Met Office amber weather warning will come into place at 12pm today (Wednesday) and will last until 12pm tomorrow. It covers all of our region, as well as parts of Liverpool, Cheshire and north Wales.

A yellow weather warning for rain is also in place for much of the north of England and the Midlands. This came into force at 12.15am this morning and will last until 6am tomorrow.

READ MORE: Met Office weather warning issued for Greater Manchester with chance of flooding as heavy rain hits

Forecasters are warning that rain will become 'heavy and persistent' later this afternoon and tomorrow, with 'flooding and disruption likely'. 'Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely' which could 'cause a danger to life'.

It is also likely that the heavy rain will cause delays or cancellations on trains and bus services over the coming days as well as difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

Persistent and heavy rain is forecast in our region for the entire day today. The showers are expected through until Thursday morning as rain clouds sweep over much of England.

The latest weather warning comes just over a week after rainwater poured in through the roof of Manchester airport, gigs were cancelled at the eleventh hour due to the conditions and the roof of Old Trafford began gushing amid a torrential thunderstorm on May 12.

Chief Meteorologist, Andy Page, said: "The area of low pressure developing in the southern North Sea will push a band of heavy rain north and west across the UK. Areas exposed to the strengthening northerly winds are most likely to see the highest rainfall amounts,