Met Éireann have named Storms Elin and Fergus, which will bring residual weekend impacts to the UK, with a number of Met Office warnings in force.
On Saturday, a band of heavy rain is moving gradually from the southwest towards the northeast through the day, with the potential for some flooding where rain falls on saturated ground. A number of warnings for rain have been issued.
Wind will be an additional hazard on Saturday, with low-pressure dominant towards western areas of the UK.
This system has been named Storm Elin by Met Éireann, with more widespread impacts expected for the Republic of Ireland. The system weakens and clears to the west of the UK late Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday morning.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Andy Page said: “Wet and windy weather is the main theme of the forecast this weekend, though there will be some drier interludes in the south on Saturday afternoon.
“Winds and rain could be disruptive at times, which has resulted in the issuing of weather warnings for both wind and rain. Winds could peak around 70mph on exposed Irish Sea coasts, with gusts of around 45-55mph likely quite widely in England and Wales. A further 20-30mm of rain could fall over parts of Northern Ireland, northwest England and into southwest and central Scotland, with 40mm over some high ground.”
Sunday will see a continuation of unsettled conditions with periods of heavy rain affecting the vast majority of the UK, with western areas of Britain most likely to see further heavy rainfall into the evening.
There will also be a deep area of low-pressure moving towards the Republic of Ireland later in the day, which will reintroduce some gusty winds, especially in western areas alongside this further rainfall. This system has been named as Storm Fergus by Met Éireann, with Ireland expecting the most impactful winds.
Kate Marks, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Minor river flooding impacts are expected across parts of England until Tuesday, following recent heavy rainfall and with further rain on Saturday.
“Minor surface water flooding is likely across parts of Somerset, Devon and Dorset on Saturday, with further minor impacts also possible elsewhere.
“We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.”
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