UK weather: Amber warning issued by Met Office ahead of Storm Austen

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for strong winds as Storm Austen is forecast to sweep across parts of the UK.

The warning - the second-highest tier that the Met Office issues - is valid for Cornwall and parts of west Devon from 03:00 until 10:00 BST on Friday.

Wind gusts of up to 80mph (130km/h) are expected around exposed coasts, with 60-70mph gusts elsewhere.

Flying debris could lead to injuries or a danger to life, with the risk of power cuts and damage to buildings.

A broader yellow Met Office wind warning covers large swathes of southern England and south Wales with some travel disruption possible.

Southern and eastern Scotland is also covered by a Met Office yellow warning - this one for heavy rain which could bring the risk of flooding.

Storm Austen - an area of low pressure - is currently developing in the Atlantic and will continue to deepen as it approaches the UK.

It will move close to south-west England on Thursday night with the strongest winds expected to arrive early on Friday morning.

The very windiest conditions are expected on coastal headlands in north and west Cornwall - exposed to the north-westerly gales - but gusts of up to 70mph could occur even in inland areas.

According to the Met Office there is a high risk of 'significant' disruption with possible delays to road and rail transport.

Air and ferry services could also be affected.

Injuries and danger to life are likely from flying debris and large waves along the coast. Some power cuts are also possible.

The centre of Storm Austen is then forecast to move through the English Channel which could mean the Channel Islands - which are not covered by the Met Office warning system - are hit by damaging winds.

Strong winds will spread across many other southern parts of the UK during Friday with a Met Office yellow warning covering the rest of south-west England, the English Channel coast, and the south of Wales.

50-60mph gusts are likely in these areas, with 70mph gusts in exposed spots, bringing the threat of travel disruption, power cuts and damage.

Heavy rain will also sweep across the country with almost all areas seeing some wet weather - much needed in those southern areas where severe drought has been declared.

However the most persistent downpours are expected to affect southern and eastern Scotland - where a Met Office yellow warning for rain has been issued.

20-40mm of rain is likely to fall across the warning area, with up to 80mm in a few places, bringing the risk of flooding and travel disruption.

It is even possible that some snow could fall over the mountains, above 600m elevation, as cold air interacts with the wet weather.

Does this mean the rest of autumn will be stormy?

Austen is the first named storm of the 2026/2027 season.

It is being propelled towards the UK by a powerful jet stream which is blowing across the Atlantic, high in the atmosphere, with top speeds expected to touch around 200mph in the core of the jet.

The jet stream will continue to blow in our direction, delivering another deep area of low pressure over the weekend.

This second low has not, so far, been named but it could bring a spell of gales - particularly for the northern half of the UK.

Computer models suggest that western Scotland could see gusts of 80mph or more so some further disruption is possible. Heavy rain is also likely across many parts of the country.

More areas of low pressure are expected to move in from the Atlantic next week meaning spells of wind and rain, interspersed with drier interludes.

Beyond that, there are signs that high pressure could bring somewhat calmer weather into the start of November, especially in the south of the UK - but there is a good deal of uncertainty at this range.

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