Gusts could hit 70mph as Storm Kathleen moves away

Wind and rain warnings are in place after the 11th named storm of the 2023/24 season brought disruption to weekend travel.

(Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Gusts of up to 70mph could hit parts of the UK as Storm Kathleen moves away.

Wind and rain warnings are in place after Kathleen, the 11th named storm of the 2023/24 season, brought disruption to weekend travel, with strong winds battering parts of Scotland.

Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said “unsettled” conditions and more wind and rain are expected through Monday and into Tuesday.

He said: “Storm Kathleen is moving off the scene now but there is low pressure gathering once again towards the South and South West.

“It is this area of low pressure that will bring more wind and rain to pretty much all of the UK through Monday into Tuesday.

“As for Monday, we will see some brightness for a time across the South and East of England but there will be showery bursts of rain working up from the South as we go through the day.

“Certainly into the afternoon, some of those bursts will turn quite heavy, whereas Northern Ireland will get off to a fine start and see some rain arriving later in the day.”

Temperatures across the northern UK are set to reach about 12C, while in the South and South East it will not feel quite as warm, amid outbreaks of rain.

Saturday was the warmest day of the year so far with a maximum temperature of 20.9C in Santon Downham, Suffolk. It beat 19.9C recorded in Achfary, Sutherland, on January 29.

Sunday’s top temperature was 17.8C in Weybourne, Norfolk.

Strong winds and large coastal waves may cause some disruption, according to Met Office yellow weather warnings covering parts of England and Wales for the start of the new week.

In the South West, which is covered by a Met Office yellow weather warning for wind from 6pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday, gusts are forecast to reach 40-50mph widely and 60-70mph along exposed coasts in places such as Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Parts of southern England will see strong winds and high spring tides as 40-50mph gusts are forecast for inland regions, while there is potential for 60mph along the most exposed coastal spots.

Residents in the South West and London and the South East are also set for unsettled conditions.

A spell of strong onshore winds looks set to hit parts of the England Channel coastline overnight on Monday and into Tuesday morning, according to the Met Office yellow warning for wind which runs from 1am to noon on Tuesday.

Hazardous coastal conditions and some travel disruption may also hit north-west England and Wales on Tuesday, which is covered by a yellow warning for wind from 1am to 3pm.

Some “heavy and persistent” downpours could cause flooding affecting transport and homes and businesses, according to a warning across parts of Scotland from 1am to 6pm on Tuesday.

Some areas could see 20-40mm of rain, and there is a slight chance one or two spots could see 50-60mm.

The warning, covering Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, south-west Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde, adds: “Given the saturated ground in this region following recent heavy rainfall, the rainfall totals quoted above have the potential to cause greater impacts than would be typical.”