Britain faces a double blow of named storms this weekend, with forecasters warning that two weather systems will sweep the country in successive days and bring gusts of up to 80mph. Storm Austen arrives on Friday, October 23, followed closely by Storm Boelo on Saturday, October 24, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The Met Office has issued six severe weather alerts in total: one amber wind warning, four yellow wind warnings and one yellow rain warning. A yellow wind warning covers Greater Manchester until 9pm on Friday evening.
What the Met Office forecasters are saying
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Chris Bulmer, speaking after Storm Boelo was named on Thursday, October 22, set out the scale of what lies ahead.
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 continued: 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 warned that Storm Austen marks the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season.
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.
He added: 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.
Friday: Storm Austen brings the first blow
Storm Austen is expected to sweep over the UK on Friday, bringing heavy rain and disruptive winds, particularly to the south of the country. Brit Brief reports that a yellow wind warning states: