Storm Etienne battered Britain with 17 hours of rain today but ‘Storm Deirdre’ is on the way with a ‘danger to life’ wind warning in place on Friday.
Wednesday night into Thursday morning will be a mild and damp night, with patchy fog and drizzle over western hills.
Thursday will be cloudy, breezy and mild with persistent rain or drizzle in the west.
But the weather will turn nasty on Friday, with severe gales of up to 80mph expected in some places and heavy rain.
A yellow ‘danger to life’ warning for wind will be in place most of the day for all of Northern Ireland, most of Scotland and northern England and Wales.
The warning is in place from 3am on Friday morning until midnight.
Winds will gust to 80mph in exposed locations, and the Met Office has warned of potential danger to life from flying debris, damage to buildings and large waves.
Gale force winds and torrential downpours are likely to cause localised flooding and transport disruption on Friday with between 2-5cms of rain forecast in 24 hours for parts of the UK.
The Met Office has not yet named the upcoming storm as it usually waits until 24 hours before it hits to do so to ensure it meets the criteria for severe weather.
The National Severe Weather Warnings service says a storm is named when it has the potential to cause an yellow or red warning.
A spokesperson for The Weather Channel said: “Based on the current forecast, it is possible that this storm will be named by the UK Met Office and Irish Met Éireann as Storm Deirdre, with high winds and surface flooding possible.”
Storm Deirdre will follow Ali, Bronagh and Callum, which were named by the Irish Met Office and hit the UK across September and Occtober.
The Met Office said: “A weather system will move eastwards across the north of the UK on Friday bringing widespread gales.
"Heavy rainfall may be an additional hazard across parts of northern and western Scotland.”
There were heavy downpours across the country today as the remnants of Storm Etienne blew across the country.
Met Office five-day forecast
Tonight
Rain across eastern parts will soon clear, leaving a mild and damp night.
Patchy fog and drizzle will persist over western hills.
Further rain will arrive in the northwest later.
Thursday
Thursday will be cloudy, breezy and mild with persistent spells of rain or drizzle in the west.
Sunny spells and showers are likely in parts of Scotland through the afternoon.
Friday
Gales, in places severe, will develop on Friday with rain followed by frequent blustery showers.
Saturday and Sunday
Saturday will be windy with sunshine and showers, clearing during Sunday as it turns colder.
Read More
Surviving the cold weather
-
Get all your winter warmers free
-
Is your boiler doomed to failure
-
How Lidl cling film could save you £100
-
Winter risks to your car
-
10 ways to keep warm for less
-
Winter risks to your home
-
The company that’s insulating homes free
-
Cold Weather Payments – who qualifies
Source: Read Full Article