A SEVERE weather warning has been issued for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The Met Office has today issued a yellow warning of rain for West Yorkshire, which is valid from 6pm on Christmas Day until 11.45pm on Boxing Day.

The heavy and persistent rain brings a risk of localised flooding.

A Met Office spokesman: "A band of rain is expected to spread in from the southwest across much of England and Wales through Christmas Day.

"By the evening of Christmas Day there is a chance that this band of rain may become slow moving across northern parts of England, with rain becoming persistent and heavy at times overnight, perhaps lasting through much of Boxing Day.

"Please be aware that there are early indications that this could result in some disruption to transport and some localised flooding."

National forecasters say that going into Christmas Eve, a low pressure system to the northwest of the UK will bring a spell of wet and windy weather for most, with gales or severe gales in the northwest of the UK and perhaps locally storm force winds over parts of the Outer Hebrides.

Met Eireann have named this Storm Eva, the fifth officially named storm of the season, because they have issued an orange wind warning for counties Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.