The Met Office has issued weather warnings for strong winds and heavy rain across the UK this weekend, with gusts of up to 70mph expected near the Irish Sea. Parts of the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland could see winds of 45-55mph, while heavy downpours are forecast for south-west Scotland.
Rain will spread across northern and western areas on Friday evening, with the heaviest falls in south-west Scotland. Clear spells and scattered showers are expected further south, but more rain will return to south-west England later. Wind speeds will increase in the west on Saturday morning before spreading across other areas in the afternoon, easing slowly from the west through the evening.
Yellow weather warnings for rain have been issued on Saturday for parts of Dorset, Devon, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the ground is already heavily saturated. Up to 80mm of rain could fall in some areas, with 30-50mm widely expected in southern Scotland and 60-80mm possible over higher ground from Friday night.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, said: “We’re in for a wet and windy weekend. From 6pm tonight a band of heavy wind and rain will move through Scotland. There’s a possibility of flooding because of the already saturated ground. Another band will move tomorrow morning from the south-west of the UK towards the north-east, bringing heavy rain for much of the country.”
The bad weather could cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, with coastal routes and sea fronts affected by spray and large waves. The unsettled weather is expected to continue into Sunday and next week, with the possibility of further warnings.
