The UK could witness its first storm of the season this week, as the Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for wind. As a result, we’ll possibly see the wettest and windiest week so far since autumn began. While Glasgow hasn’t directly been issued a weather warning, it still looks like the perfect weather to stay inside!
From Tuesday, October 19, rain is expected to spread across England and Wales, with Scotland following shortly after.
A strong jet stream is the reason behind the upcoming turbulent weather, bringing a low-pressure system to the country.
When is the Yellow Weather Warning for?
The Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for wind, starting at midnight on Friday, October 23, lasting until 12pm the same day. The UK storm warning is mainly for the South West of England and the South West of Wales, with rain spreading up North as the day goes on.
The Met Office said: “Strong west to northwesterly winds may spread across southern parts of England and Wales on Friday. Gusts of 50-60 mph are possible, and some coastal or exposed areas could see 70 mph or more, but at this time there is uncertainty in where the strongest winds will be. There will be some periods of heavy rain, which will make travel more difficult. Whilst it will remain breezy, the winds will probably ease late morning into the early afternoon.”
While some computer systems show a more northerly direction for the strongest winds, which would impact Scotland and Northern Ireland more, most predict it will be the most impactful in the South.
What will the first named storm of the season be called?
If the storm ends up getting a name, it will be called Storm Austen. For the UK storm to receive a name, the Met Office and/or Ireland’s Met Éireann would need to issue an Amber Weather Warning. So, for now, all we can do is wait for more updates as the week progresses.
The full list of the affected areas
Regions and local authorities affected:
London & South East England
- Brighton and Hove
- East Sussex
- Hampshire
- Isle of Wight
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
- West Sussex
South West England
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
- Bristol
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- Isles of Scilly
- North Somerset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Torbay
- Wiltshire
Wales
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
To find more information on how to stay safe during weather warnings, check out the Met Office website.
