Heavy rain is expected to hit Greater Manchester as Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, sweeps across the UK with strong winds and heavy rain. The storm will arrive from Thursday night (October 22).
Storm Austen's Path and Warnings
A 12-hour yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for parts of the south west, the south coast and South Wales from 12am on Friday. Greater Manchester is expected to avoid the worst of the weather, but the Met Office still expects the region to be affected in the coming days.
Wet weather is expected across the region later today (Wednesday), before Storm Austen's arrival. Spells of light rain are expected to turn heavy from around 1pm, according to the latest Met Office forecast.
Rain Timings for Greater Manchester
Heavy rain is expected to continue through to the early evening. Met Office maps show the rain is likely to be more persistent towards northern parts of the region, including Bolton, Bury and Rochdale, with more patchy rain in areas like Manchester, Stockport and Trafford.
Drier conditions are expected later tonight, before heavy rain arrives early on Thursday morning. Downpours are expected to hit the region from around 6am, turning to showers from late morning.
Storm Austen's Impact on Friday and Beyond
The Met Office expects a largely dry afternoon and evening in Greater Manchester until Storm Austen hits the region from around 11pm. Rain is expected to persist into Friday morning, with heavy downpours in the early hours.
Met Office maps currently show the rain passing the region by 8am, before another band of heavy rain arrives on Friday afternoon. Wind gust speeds could hit 43mph in Manchester at that time, before conditions ease for a mostly dry evening.
Further heavy rain is expected to hit Greater Manchester on Saturday, with the heaviest conditions currently expected in the afternoon, easing to spells of light rain on Saturday night. Showers are currently forecast for Sunday by the Met Office.
