Storm Austen forecast to hit southern UK

The first named storm of the season, Austen, is expected to bring gusts of up to 60mph to southern areas of the UK at the end of the week, forecasters said.

While there would be spells of rain and showers for many on Tuesday and Wednesday, by Thursday Storm Austen would be approaching the south-west of the UK, the Met Office said.

An area of low pressure in the Atlantic would deepen rapidly as it was invigorated by the jet stream, the forecaster added.

A storm in the UK is named when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning. The Met Office issued a yellow severe weather warning for strong wind from midnight to midday on Friday which covers most of south-west England and southern Wales. Parts of the south coast as far east as Brighton were also expected to be affected.

The Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said: “While the exact track and position of Storm Austen is still being determined, what’s clear is that we have an impactful period of weather on the way and the potential for disruption in places, which has resulted in the system being named.

“Peak gusts in excess of 70mph are possible on the most exposed coastal areas, while 50-60mph are likely more widely within the warning area.

“Weather warnings are under constant review and could be updated as confidence increases, so it’s important to stay up to date with the forecast in the coming days.”

Storm Austen would move from west to east through Friday, with winds diminishing later in the day. About 20mm-30mm of rain was expected in many places.

The storm would move into the North Sea late on Friday, but more wind and rain was likely throughout the weekend and into the start of next week, with the heaviest rain more likely to be in western areas, the forecaster said.