Winds of up to 80mph expected at the weekend as heavy rain batters UK

Gusts of wind could reach up to 80mph in parts of the UK at the weekend, with the Met Office warning of power cuts, damage to buildings and potential “danger to life” from flying debris.

As heavy rain battered Wales and western and northern parts of England on Wednesday, the Met Office issued a further warning that strong winds could cause disruption on Sunday and Monday.

With a yellow warning in place in parts of the UK between 3am on Sunday and 12pm on Monday, wind is expected across the whole of the UK, but across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and North West Wales there is an increased chance of some disruption.

The Met Office said a period of strong south to south-easterly winds will likely develop through until Sunday morning, with gusts of 50-60mph possible in some inland areas, especially Northern Ireland and western Scotland, and up to 60-70mph along exposed coasts and hills.

Winds will then likely turn south-westerly, with a period of especially strong winds possible during Sunday afternoon and evening in western Scotland where gusts could reach 70-80mph in exposed areas, and more generally 55-65mph in other parts of the warning area.

Strong winds in conjunction with high spring tides may cause some disruption.

There is a “small chance” of injuries and danger to life from flying debris or from large waves in seafront areas, road and bridge closures and longer journey times or cancellations.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Holley said: “A low pressure system could bring strong winds to the north and west on Friday. This combined with high spring tides may result in some coastal impacts, potentially continuing into the weekend on some coasts.

“As we head into the weekend the weather will remain unsettled with further rain at times, and by Sunday there is a chance that a particularly deep area of low pressure arriving from the Atlantic could bring more widespread strong winds, especially in northern and western areas, with potential for some disruption in places.

“This low pressure system is not expected to develop until Friday near the coast of Canada, so at this stage there is still a lot of uncertainty about the strength and track of this system as it interacts with the jet stream over the weekend.

“We’ll keep reviewing the need for any warnings over the coming days, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest forecast.”

Meanwhile, heavy rain across parts of Wales and west England has prompted the Met Office to extend a yellow warning for parts of south-west England, the north and east Midlands, north-west England and Wales until 9pm on Wednesday, where some areas could see 50 to 80mm of rain in six hours.

Another yellow warning has been issued from midday Wednesday to midnight and includes north-east and north-west England and Yorkshire and Humber.

Many areas will see 20mm of rain but some could have 50 to 80mm in six hours, and isolated thunderstorms are possible, the Met Office said.