The Met Office has issued a series of new weather warnings indicating wind gusts of up to 80mph and heavy rain are set to batter the UK in the coming days, potentially bringing travel chaos and power cuts.
A yellow warning is in place for north-west Scotland advising of high winds from 4pm on Wednesday to 9am on Thursday, before this spreads to Northern Ireland and across northern England from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning.
The Met Office has then put in place a warning for all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland for heavy rain and wind from 3pm on Friday until 6am on Sunday.
People are being advised of a “danger to life” from flying debris as well as from large waves at the coast.
The Met Office is also warning of potential delays to road, rail and ferry travel during the poor weather, as well as the possibility of some short-term loss of power and other services.
Neil Armstrong is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office and said: “A spell of strong winds will affect parts of northern Scotland from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning. Winds will initially be south or southeasterly, but turn westerly during Thursday morning. Gusts will reach 50-60 mph widely with 65-75mph possible in places, especially around exposed coasts.
“A band of rain will also move eastwards across the UK overnight, bringing heavy rain to most parts of the UK as it crosses the country. We expect this rain to clear the southeast of England by 7am on Thursday morning, before another spell of wet and windy weather begins.”
The Met Office advises people to take steps to protect their property from heavy winds and says: “Check for loose items outside your home and plan how you could secure them. Items include bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences.”
It adds in the warning: “If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea.”
The fresh alerts come after the UK has recently been hit by storms.
Storm Bert battered the country just over a week ago, leaving hundreds of homes flooded and roads turned to rivers, while winds of more than 80mph were recorded across the UK during its height.
The third storm of the season – Storm Conall – followed just days after, bringing more heavy rain, flooding and travel disruptions to parts of southern England.