The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for Friday as a deep area of low pressure moves towards the UK. South-west Wales, south-west England and the coast towards west Sussex are covered, with the warning in force from midnight to 12:00 BST.
Winds are expected to build through the day, with gusts widely of 50-60mph and up to 70mph in more exposed locations. The forecast also points to heavy rain, travel disruption, damage to buildings and a small risk of power cuts.
Friday in south-west England
The warning is the clearest sign yet of a wet and windy end to the week. The Met Office says the strongest winds are limited to southern areas in the current forecast, with the highest risk of disruptive winds over southernmost parts of England and Wales and possibly some eastern coastal counties of England later on Friday.
That track matters because most computer models take the centre of the low pressure system across the southern areas of the UK. A slight shift would change where the worst gusts fall, and the rain is expected to vary with that path as well. Earlier in the week, heavy rain is due across much of England and east Wales on Tuesday, then more areas of rain on Wednesday.
The first named storm
The UK may see the first named storm of the autumn later this week if the low pressure system develops as expected. The week ahead is set to be the wettest and windiest of the autumn so far, and the whole of the UK will see rain at times.
For people in the warning area, Friday is the day to plan around. Travel may be slower, exposed routes are most at risk, and the strongest winds are most likely where the low pressure system passes closest to the south of the UK. More on Met Office yellow weather warnings gives another example of how the warning system is being used elsewhere this week.
Whether the system becomes the first named storm of the season depends on how the low pressure develops as it reaches Friday. If the centre tracks farther north or south, the band of 70mph gusts could shift with it.
