Wet and windy end to the week

The rest of this week is looking changeable and rather cool for many with a spell of strong winds and heavy rain on Friday.

On Thursday there will be some sunny spells with scattered showers before the jet stream, strengthened by the warm tropical air pushed northwards by Hurricane Ian, sweeps an area of low pressure across the UK on Friday.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Chris Almond, said; “This will bring a much wetter and windier spell than we’ve seen so far this autumn, but nothing that is unusual for the time of year.

“The fast-moving system will bring strong gale force winds, locally in excess of 60mph, and heavy rain into the northwest before pushing quickly southeast through the day. We could see some minor impacts, such as surface water flooding or minor wind damage, as well as some short-lived impacts on ferry crossings, especially in exposed areas of western Scotland and eastern areas of Northern Ireland. Later in the day, parts of southeast England could experience winds of around 55mph, which may impact the English Channel too.” 

Rain or showers will continue in the south on Saturday, sunny spells, and heavy, blustery showers elsewhere. Sunday is looking a little more settled before further unsettled conditions arrive in the northwest from Monday onwards. 

Keep up to date if travelling 

With autumn underway it’s important to start considering how the weather may affect travelling too. Andy Butterfield, Customer Services Director for Operations at National Highways, said: “It’s always a good idea to plan your journey in advance which is particularly important if you are travelling on routes you are not familiar with.

“Checking the weather forecast before you travel can help you determine whether it might be worth delaying a journey if bad weather is forecast or at the very least to understand the traffic conditions.”