Storm Austen to bring severe gales to UK as weather warning issued — SkimNews
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- Storm Austen, the first named storm of autumn, will batter parts of the UK with severe gales and heavy rain from Thursday night, with the Met Office issuing a yellow wind warning from midnight Friday to 12:00 BST.
- The warning covers south Wales, south-west England, and southern coastal counties, where gusts up to 70mph threaten building damage, travel disruption, and power cuts.
- More widely, gusts of 50-60mph will affect west Wales and southern England throughout Friday as the storm sweeps east.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland will largely miss Storm Austen's impacts, though a separate deep low-pressure system on Saturday will bring 70-80mph gusts to western Scotland.
- Saturday's secondary system may cause ferry cancellations and bridge restrictions in western Scotland before conditions turn drier but remain windy on Sunday.
Why it matters: Two back-to-back low-pressure systems in under 48 hours compound the risk to southern England's transport and power networks during Friday's morning rush, with the Met Office forecasting 70mph gusts capable of damaging buildings across south Wales and south-west England. Ferry operators and bridge authorities in western Scotland face a separate 70-80mph gust threat on Saturday that could strand travelers.
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