The Met Office has issued six severe weather alerts as two named storms are set to hit the UK in close succession, bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 80mph.
Storm Austen is forecast to sweep across the UK on Friday (October 23), followed closely by Storm Boelo on Saturday (October 24). At the time of writing, the alerts comprise one amber wind warning, four yellow wind warnings and one yellow rain warning.
Storm Austen: Friday's warnings
Storm Austen is set to bring "disruptive" wind and rain on Friday. The amber wind warning covers South West England, including Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and Plymouth, and is in force from 1am until 10am.
A yellow wind warning is active from 12am until 5pm on Friday, covering London & South East England, South West England, Wales and Herefordshire in the West Midlands. A second yellow wind warning runs from 10am until 9pm on Friday across the East Midlands, East of England, London & South East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber.
A yellow rain warning is in place from 6am until 11.59pm on Friday for Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Strathclyde and SW Scotland, Lothian Borders.
Storm Boelo: Weekend impact
Storm Boelo will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend, according to the Met Office. A yellow wind warning is active from 6pm Saturday until 9pm Sunday, covering much of Scotland, North East England, North West England, Orkney & Shetland, Strathclyde, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders and North Yorkshire.
A separate yellow wind warning for Northern Ireland runs from 6pm Saturday until 3pm Sunday.
Forecasters' advice
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Chris Bulmer said: "Storm Boelo will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend, impacting the opposite end of the country to Storm Austen."
He added: "Gusts of 70-80mph in exposed coastal areas and high ground are possible, with 50-60mph gusts more widely. The strong winds will be accompanied by heavy rain, making for an impactful weekend of weather. Severe weather warnings and forecast detail will continue to develop, so people should keep up to date with the forecast over the next few days."
Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: "We've updated Amber and Yellow severe weather warnings for Storm Austen. This is the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season and we expect some disruption as it moves through. With trees in leaf, it is likely fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways so take extra care on the Friday morning commute."
