Storm Austen, the first named storm of the autumn, is expected to bring severe gales and heavy rain to parts of the UK starting Thursday night. The Met Office has issued a yellow wind severe weather warning, which will be active from midnight on Friday.
The warning covers south Wales, south-west England, and southern coastal counties of England, where wind gusts of up to 70mph are anticipated. More widely, gusts of 50-60mph are expected around west Wales and through southern England. Heavy rain will also move across England and Wales through Thursday night.
Damage to buildings, transport disruption, and the possibility of power cuts are likely due to the strong winds. While the strongest winds are expected to ease from the south-west later on Friday morning, the rest of England and Wales will remain blustery with heavy rain at times throughout the day.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are largely expected to avoid the impacts of Storm Austen. However, another deep area of low pressure will bring more wet and windy weather on Saturday, affecting western Scotland with gusts of 70-80mph, potentially causing delays to ferries and restrictions on bridges.