It’s time to batten down the hatches again as Storm Kathleen heads our way

On Saturday a deep area of low pressure – now named as Storm Kathleen and the 11th named storm of this storm season – will move towards the UK and Ireland from the southwest bringing unseasonably strong winds to Ireland and western parts of the UK.

A yellow warning is in place from 8am until 10pm on Saturday for parts of western Britain and Northern Ireland.  

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Christoph Almond said: “Gusts of 50 mph are expected quite widely on Saturday, while some exposed spots, particularly on the coast, will see 60 to 70 mph gusts with large waves also likely.” 

The Met Office say that as this area of low pressure moves north-eastwards, it will be drawing up unseasonably warm air from Iberia for a time. This warm air will see temperatures rise across the UK, causing some areas to see values above 20°C for the first time this year. The locations likely to see the highest temperatures will be in parts of East Anglia and Southeast England where 21°C or 22°C is not out of the question briefly on Saturday. 

Beyond the weekend the confidence in the forecast isn’t as high, but there is a robust signal for further rain next week in the north, but a hint of more settled conditions in the south of England at times, especially in the second half of next week with temperatures a little above average. 

(Lead image: Met Office)