We receive flood alerts and are very glad to receive them.
The fact that it is raining hard and has been for some time is no guide to whether or not we may be in danger of flooding. The danger, in our case, comes from the brook that runs close to our home and its headwaters are some distance away and the water that feeds it are the downs up to five miles away from it. So we may be in bright sunshine and receive a flood warning, or have pouring rain and be in no danger of floods at all. Our village flooded very badly in 2007 and again in 2009.
It may be sucking eggs to you, watermeadow, but to us it is the the safety of the inhabitants and houses in our village.
I would be very happy to have warnings of weather events if they were imminent. Our weather is now so variable, that days that are expected to be hot, can suddenly change to extremely hot with little notice. Strong winds change course. Remember 1987?